#0247 – Asking for Recommendations, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 247 – Asking for Recommendations
GLOSSARY
picky –
difficult to please; selective; willing to accept only certain kinds of things
* I’m not that picky, but I couldn’t find a suit at the store that I liked enough to buy.
moderately priced –
not too expensive and not too cheap
* They wanted to find a moderately priced hotel room, but the cheapest one they
could find was more than $200 per night!
walking distance –
the distance that one can comfortably walk, making driving
unnecessary
* Sheldon wants to find an apartment that is within walking distance of the
university, because she doesn’t want to drive to her classes every day.
to make a reservation –
to ask a restaurant or club to hold a table for someone
who will come later
* Café Zenon is one of the most popular restaurants in town, and people have to
make a reservation at least two weeks in advance.
to check with (someone) –
to ask for someone’s opinion before deciding to do
something
* Yes, I think my roommate and I can go to your party, but I need to check with
her before saying for certain.
by the way –
an expression used to say or ask something that isn’t connected to
what one was just saying
* Please buy some milk and eggs when you go to the store tonight. And by the
way, if you see Janet at the store, please thank her for the beautiful flowers that
she sent us last week.
to see the sights –
to go to the interesting places that are visited by tourists
* This summer, we’re going to see the sights in Chicago: the Sears Tower, the
Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Adler Planetarium.
museum –
a building that has educational, scientific, historical, or artistic objects
for people to look at and learn from
* Sean’s favorite museum is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in
Washington, DC.
botanical garden –
a large outdoor area with many interesting plants
* The botanical gardens are the most beautiful in the spring, when all of the
flowers are blooming.
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ESL Podcast 247 – Asking for Recommendations
don’t miss (something) –
an expression meaning, “Make sure that you see or
do something,” or “I strongly recommend that you see or do something”
* When you go to eastern Oregon, don’t miss the High Desert Museum. It’s
really interesting.
shopping district –
an area in a city with many stores
* The “Fashion District” in downtown Los Angeles is one of the most famous
shopping districts in the United States.
on foot –
by walking; not in a car or bus
* After we walked from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol Building on foot, we
were really tired.
bus system –
public transportation that uses buses; the system of public bus
transportation in a city
* A good bus system should help people move through a city quickly, safely, and
inexpensively.
day tour –
a group of tourists and a guide who visit many interesting places in a
city during one day, either by walking or on a bus or boat
* We paid $40 for a day tour in Seattle, Washington, that went to Pike Place
Market, the Space Needle, and the Seattle Art Museum.
help yourself –
take whatever you would like; serve yourself
* Please help yourself to the coffee and desserts on the table in the back of the
conference room.
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ESL Podcast 247 – Asking for Recommendations
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Why doesn’t Victor want the clerk to make a reservation at the restaurant?
a) Because he wants to know whether his guest likes the idea.
b) Because he’ll be in town for only four days.
c) Because he prefers a restaurant where he can see the sights.
2. What does the clerk give to Victor?
a) A map of the bus system.
b) Brochures for day tours.
c) A map of the city’s tourist sights.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
to check with
The phrase “to check with (someone),” in this podcast, means to ask for
someone’s opinion before deciding to do something: “Please check with your
teacher to find out whether it’s okay to do the homework assignment in small
groups.” Or, “Have you checked with your wife to see if she’s available to help at
the event?” The phrase “to check up on (someone)” means to make sure that
someone is doing what they should be doing: “Karen’s parents asked their
neighbors to check up on her while they were gone, because they didn’t want her
to have any parties at home.” Or, “Our supervisor keeps checking up on us
every 15 minutes, and it’s really bothering us.” The phrase “to check over
(something)” means to look at something closely to see whether it is correct or
appropriate: “Dad, can you please check over my math homework to see if I
made any mistakes?”
on foot
In this podcast, the phrase “on foot” means by walking, and not in a car or bus:
“Can we get to the park on foot, or is it too far to walk?” The phrase “to be back
on one’s feet” means to be well again after an illness or difficult times: “Last year
Melanie had stomach cancer, but now she’s back on her feet again.” The phrase
“to put one’s feet up” means to relax: “This week has been so stressful that I just
want to put my feet up and read a good book this weekend.” The phrase “to put
one’s foot down” means to very strongly be against what another person wants to
do: “Chuck really wanted to go to Orlando, Florida for spring vacation, but his
father put his foot down and said it was too expensive for him to go this year.”
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ESL Podcast 247 – Asking for Recommendations
CULTURE NOTE
Many people in the United States use “restaurant reviews” to decide where they
want to eat. A “restaurant review” is a written “opinion” (what someone thinks)
about the quality of a restaurant.
Many newspapers have restaurant reviews that are written by a single reviewer.
This reviewer goes to a restaurant as a normal customer, eats there, and then
writes a review describing the food, the “service” (how well the waiters treated
the customer), “atmosphere” (the feeling of being in the restaurant), and the cost.
These reviews are helpful in deciding where to eat, but they may not be very
“accurate” (correct). The reviewer may have been at the restaurant on a bad
day, or the reviewer’s opinions about the restaurant may be very unusual.
For these reasons, there are now many restaurant guides that provide restaurant
reviews based on the opinions of thousands of people instead of a single
reviewer. In the United States, one of the most popular guides is the Zagat
Review. The company creates restaurant “surveys” (sets of questions) about
restaurants that are sent to thousands of people. Zagat uses these peoples’
opinions about restaurants to develop its restaurant reviews. Most people think
that these reviews are very accurate because they are based on the opinions of
many people instead of only one reviewer.
The Zagat Review looks at four things in each restaurant: food, “décor”
(decoration and atmosphere), service, and cost. Each of these categories
receives between 0 and 30 points. This allows people to find the types of
restaurants that they’re looking for anywhere in the country.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – c
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ESL Podcast 247 – Asking for Recommendations
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 247: Asking for
Recommendations.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast number 247. I'm your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii - no, just kidding! In beautiful Los Angeles, California,
but Honolulu is very beautiful, too!
This podcast is going to be about “Asking for Recommendations,” when you want
someone to help you, and you're asking for their opinion or their advice about
something. In this particular dialogue Victor is going to be talking with someone
at a hotel - a person who works for the hotel - to try to get some
recommendations about things in that area. Let's get started
[start of story]
Hotel Clerk: Can I help you with something?
Victor: Yes, I was hoping you could recommend a restaurant nearby.
Clerk: What kind of food would you like?
Victor: I’m not picky. I’m looking for something moderately priced that’s within
walking distance.
Clerk: There’s a good seafood restaurant called “Galeno’s” about two blocks
away. Would you like me to make a reservation for you?
Victor: Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. I need to check with my guest
before deciding. By the way, I’ll be in town for four days, and I’d like to see the
sights.
Clerk: Is this your first time here?
Victor: Yes, it is.
Clerk: Then, I’d suggest seeing our museums and the botanical gardens, and
don’t miss the shopping district near downtown.
Victor: Can I get there on foot?
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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2007). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
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