#0259 – Making a Restaurant Reservation, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
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English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 259 – Making a Restaurant Reservation
GLOSSARY
reservation –
a request that a table, seat, or room be available for one’s use at a
future time
* Have you made hotel reservations yet for your trip to San Diego?
How many will be in the party? –
How many people will be in your group?
How many people will be eating with you at the restaurant?
* - Good evening, sir. How many will be in the party? Just the two of you?
- No, we’re waiting for a friend, so there will be three of us total.
to reach (someone) –
to contact someone; to communicate with someone
* From Monday to Friday you can reach me at work, but on the weekends you
can call me on my cell phone.
to repeat back (something) to (someone) –
to say what someone else just told
one, to make sure that one heard it correctly
* Let me repeat back your telephone number to make sure I wrote it down
correctly. Is it 202-555-4015?
the Friday after next –
not this Friday, but the one after it; not the Friday in the
immediate future, but the one that is after it
* This Friday, the 23
rd
, we’re going to the mountains, and the Friday after next,
the 30
th
, we’re going to the beach.
table by the window –
a table at a restaurant that is next to a window and has a
view
* The waiter said that if we wanted a table by the window we would have to wait
at least 40 minutes.
non-smoking section
– a part of a place, such as a restaurant or airplane where
smoking is not allowed
* The non-smoking section is full right now. Would you like to sit in the smoking
section?
to be away from (something) –
to not be near something; to be far away from
something; to not be close to something
* Duncan wants to live in an apartment that is away from the train tracks because
it’s too noisy at night.
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 259 – Making a Restaurant Reservation
to guarantee –
to promise that something will happen; to promise to do
something
* This company guarantees that you’ll like its product or it will give your money
back.
to note (something) –
to write something down quickly so that one does not
forget it later
* You want to meet next Thursday instead of Wednesday? That’s fine. I’ve
made a note on my calendar.
preference –
something that one likes more than something else; what one
would like to have or do
* Lewis wants to go to Missouri for vacation, but his wife has a strong preference
for Texas.
parking situation –
the availability of parking; whether it is easy or difficult to
park somewhere
* The parking situation around the university is horrible. It’s almost impossible to
find a place to park, so we take the bus instead.
valet parking –
a service offered by restaurants, hotels, and other businesses
where visitors can take their car to the front of a building and an employee called
a valet parks the car and then brings it back when they are ready to leave
* The new restaurant charges $18 for valet parking. I’d rather save the money
and park the car myself!
special need –
something that a person needs that isn’t usual, often because of
a physical or mental issue or problem
* People who don’t see well have special needs for larger computer screens.
high chair –
a tall chair that is used for babies and young children, so that they
can sit next to adults who are sitting at a table
* Parents usually know to carefully watch a child sitting in a high chair to make
sure that the child doesn’t fall out.
booster seat –
a plastic seat that is put on top of a chair so that young children
can sit at a table and be taller than they normally would be
* If a restaurant doesn’t have booster seats, you can ask them to give you thick
phone books for your child to sit on.
lively –
full of energy; interesting; enthusiastic; busy
* The Punkays like to have dinner parties with lively discussions about politics.
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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 259 – Making a Restaurant Reservation
You’re telling me! –
a phrase used to show that one completely agrees with
what another person has said because one has experienced it
* Quincy was telling me how difficult it is to raise two kids. I said, “You’re telling
me!” because I have four kids!
______________
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Can the hostess reserve a table by the window for Randy?
a) Yes, but it will be away from the kitchen.
b) She isn’t sure, but she’s going to try.
c) No, because his preference wasn’t noted.
2. Why does Randy need high chairs and booster seats?
a) Because his guests will use valet parking.
b) Because he wants his guests to be comfortable.
c) Because his guests are young children.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
reservation
The word “reservation,” in this podcast, means a request that a table, seat, or
room be available for one’s use at a future time: “At some very popular
restaurants, you have to make a reservation weeks or months before you want to
eat there.” Or, “Making a hotel reservation online is sometimes cheaper than
making one over the phone.” A “reservation” is also an area of land in the United
States where Native Americans (American Indians) live: “About 3,000 Native
Americans live on the Umatilla Indian in northeastern Oregon.” A “reservation”
can also be a feeling of doubt or wanting to question a plan: “Sabrina has a lot of
reservations about moving away from her parents next year to go to college.”
to note
In this podcast, the verb “to note (something)” means to write something down
quickly so that one does not forget it later: “Please note your reservation number
and use it when you arrive at the hotel.” As a noun, a “note” is a short piece of
writing that helps you remember something: “Where did I put that note with Jeff’s
phone number?” A “note” can also be a short letter to someone: “Don’t forget to
write a thank you note to your grandma for the Christmas gift that she sent you.”
When you write down information that you hear during class or that you read in a
book, you are “taking notes”: “Can you please take notes for me this Friday? I
won’t be able to go to class that day.”
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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 259 – Making a Restaurant Reservation
CULTURE NOTE
In the United States, many people like to take their children to restaurants.
Regular restaurants are sometimes boring for small children, so many families
like to go to “theme restaurants.” A “theme restaurant” is a restaurant that is built
around an idea or style.
One popular theme restaurant “chain” (restaurants in many different locations) is
the Rainforest Cafe. Walking into the restaurant is a little bit like walking into a
“tropical rainforest” (an area with a lot of trees and animal life found in some parts
of the world). Inside the restaurant there are a lot of “fake,” (man-made or
artificial) trees, a small river, plastic animals like monkeys and birds, and a lot of
animal noises. The “menu,” or the piece of paper that lets one know what kind of
food is available, lists foods with names like “Planet Earth Pasta,” “Congo
Catfish,” and “Rainforest Burger.” The restaurant also has a “gift shop” where
people can buy toys and other things related to rainforests.
Another theme restaurant is “Medieval Times.” The “Medieval times” are also
known in history as the “middle ages” and lasted from about the year 400 to the
year 1500. When one goes into a Medieval Times restaurant, it feels like one is
walking into the past. The restaurant’s employees are dressed in clothing from
that time. People eat medieval food while watching a show or performance.
Men dressed as medieval “knights” (strong and brave men who worked for the
king), ride horses and “joust,” meaning that they try to make each other fall off of
their horses by using long pointed sticks.
Theme restaurants combine food and fun activities, so that having dinner
becomes a fun evening for the whole family.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c
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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.
English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 259 – Making a Restaurant Reservation
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 259: Making a
Restaurant Reservation.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast number 259. I'm your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com. You can get a Learning Guide for
this episode, which contains all of the vocabulary, definitions, sample sentences,
additional definitions, cultural notes and a complete transcript of this episode.
In this episode, we will be “Making a Restaurant Reservation.” Let's get started.
[start of story]
Hostess: Thank you for calling Sakia Restaurant. How may I help you?
Randy: I’d like to make a reservation.
Hostess: For which day and for what time?
Randy: It’s for Friday, the 24th, at seven o’clock.
Hostess: How many will be in the party?
Randy: There will be seven of us.
Hostess: And the name on the reservation?
Randy: Johnson.
Hostess: And a phone number where we can reach you?
Randy: 310-555-9023.
Hostess: Okay. Let me repeat back to you the information I have. This is a
reservation for the Friday after next for seven at seven p.m. Is that correct?
Randy: Yes, that’s right. Can we have a table by the window in a non-smoking
section? I want to be away from the kitchen, if possible.
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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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