#0413 – Talking About Intelligence, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 413 – Talking About Intelligence
GLOSSARY
to be stuck with –
to be forced to do or have something that one doesn’t want or
like
* Last week I went to a restaurant with my cousin, but she left early and I got
stuck with the bill!
lab partner –
the person with whom one works in a laboratory, usually as part of
a science class
* Rebbi’s lab partner spilled dangerous chemicals on his shoe.
airhead –
a stupid, unintelligent person; a person who is dumb and/or cannot
concentrate
* She’s such an airhead that she came to work wearing two different shoes.
dense –
stupid, dumb, and unintelligent; very slow to respond; not able to
understand things easily
* I don’t think I’ll ever understand trigonometry. I’m just too dense!
gifted –
with special intelligence and/or talents; very smart and/or very good at
doing something
* Yvonne is a gifted student, so the teachers put her in the most difficult classes.
perceptive –
someone who observes and understands things quickly
* Hama is very perceptive and always knows when other people feel sad.
to go far –
to
do well in life; to succeed; to do great things
* You’re a great student, a terrific athlete, and a good friend. I know you’ll go far.
not all there –
distracted; always thinking about something else and never
seeming to be in the present situation
* Hey, are you okay? I asked you a question this morning, but you weren’t all
there and you acted like you couldn’t even hear me.
to stare off into space –
to have one’s eyes open but not really see the things
around oneself because one is thinking about something else
* The teacher became angry when she saw that some of her students were
staring off into space instead of listening to her.
quick on the uptake –
a fast learner; quick to understand things
* Ana Rosa is very quick on the uptake and could already speak German well
after living in the country for just 10 months.
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 413 – Talking About Intelligence
smart –
intelligent
* Keiko is so smart that she’s building a robot – and she’s only 9 years old!
spacey –
not concentrating on what is around oneself because one is thinking
about other things
* Krysztof is really spacey, always thinking about music when he should be
working.
to ride on –
to depend on; to be affected by
* Whether we get a cash bonus this year rides on how many sales we get this
month.
to shape up –
to improve; to do better; to begin to meet someone’s expectations
* He’s going to give the new employee one more week to shape up, but if she
doesn’t get better she’s going to lose her job.
clever –
smart and able to find new and creative solutions
* Some very clever scientists are trying to figure out how to make cars that run on
water instead of gasoline.
to bet on (something) –
to believe that something is or will be true, so much so
that one is willing to lose some money or something else if it doesn’t happen
* I wouldn’t bet on having sunshine tomorrow. I think we should pack an
umbrella, just in case it rains.
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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 413 – Talking About Intelligence
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. What word could be used to describe a very intelligent person?
a) Dense.
b) Gifted.
c) Spacey.
2. What does Andre mean when he says, “I hope he shapes up”?
a) I hope he exercises and gets healthier.
b) I hope he starts doing better in the class.
c) I hope he learns the shapes we’re using in the lab.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
dense
The word “dense,” in this podcast, means stupid, dumb, unintelligent, and not
able to understand things very easily: “He seems too dense to learn to play this
well.” The word “dense” also means thick and difficult to see through or walk
through: “The air was dense with black smoke from the forest fires.” Or, “They
had to use a knife to cut through the dense plants blocking the trail.” “Dense
writing” is writing that is hard to understand, either because it is very technical or
because it uses a lot of unnecessary words: “The professor thought that his
dense writing made him seem intelligent, but it really just made it impossible for
other people to understand what he wanted to say.”
to shape up
In this podcast, the phrase “to shape up” means to improve or to begin to do
better: “Makiko’s parents said they would allow her to travel to see her friend this
summer if her school grades shape up.” The phrase “to get in shape” means to
become healthier by eating better and/or by exercising so that one has better
physical performance: “Trey decided to get in shape by going to the gym every
morning before work.” Finally, the phrase “to shape up or ship out” is used to tell
someone that he or she must begin to do something better, or he or she will have
to leave a place, job, or program: “Shape up or ship out! If your work doesn’t
improve soon, the boss will notice and you won’t be working here much longer.”
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 413 – Talking About Intelligence
CULTURE NOTE
A man named Howard Gardner “developed” (created) a “theory” (an idea about
how the world works) of “multiple intelligences.” His theory “recognizes” (or
sees) that people have many different “kinds” (types) of “abilities” (things that
people are able to do). Some people who are good at music, for example, are
not good at math, but this doesn’t mean that they aren’t intelligent.
One of these multiple intelligences is “bodily intelligence.” This “refers to” (is
about) one’s ability to move one’s body well and to do physical things. Athletes,
actors, and “surgeons” (doctors who cut bodies to do surgery) all have high
bodily intelligence. People with high “musical intelligence” understand music
very well and are able to play instruments, sing, and/or write music,
Another one of the multiple intelligences is “interpersonal intelligence”. This
refers to how people “interact” (or act with other people) with each other. People
with high interpersonal intelligence enjoy working with other people and can
easily understand other people’s thoughts and feelings. In contrast,
“intrapersonal intelligence” refers to how well people know themselves. People
with high intrapersonal intelligence are very “pensive” (spend a lot of time
thinking) and enjoy being alone.
“Naturalistic intelligence” is found in people who like being outdoors in the natural
world. They enjoy making things grow, taking care of animals, and paying
attention to the weather.
Finally, people with high “spatial intelligence” are very good at “visualizing”
(seeing in their mind) objects and how they work together. These people often
become architects and engineers.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – b
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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 413 – Talking About Intelligence
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 413: Talking About
Intelligence.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 413. 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. Go there to download a Learning Guide for this
episode, which will help you improve through your English even faster.
This episode is called “Talking About Intelligence.” It’s a dialogue between Andre
and Josephine, where they’re talking about how smart, or how intelligent, certain
people are, and they’ll use a lot of vocabulary related to smart or not so smart
people. Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Andre: Mom, I can’t believe I got stuck with Matt as my lab partner in school.
Josephine: Matt? Do I know Matt?
Andre: He lives down the street. He’s Mr. and Mrs. Kemp’s son. He’s a total
airhead.
Josephine: Oh, I remember him. He was at your birthday party.
Andre: Yeah, when I was nine years old! That guy is so dense!
Josephine: Matt was always considered a gifted child. He seemed bright and
perceptive, and his parents thought he’d go far.
Andre: If you ask me, he’s not all there. Every time I look over at him in class,
he’s staring off into space. He doesn’t seem like the kind who’s very quick on the
uptake.
Josephine: You know, some very smart people can seem spacey to the rest of
us. Maybe he’s just thinking when he stares off into space.
Andre: Maybe. All I know is that my science grade is riding on how we do in the
lab, so I hope he shapes up.
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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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