#0450 – Getting a Bad Reputation, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
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English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 450 – Getting a Bad Reputation
GLOSSARY
skimpy –
not enough of something, especially clothes; clothes that do not cover
very much of one’s body, letting other people see a lot of one’s skin
* He didn’t want to wear the swimming trunks his wife bought him because he
said they were too skimpy.
to leer –
to look at someone in an unpleasant, sexual way
* Luca became very angry when he noticed that other men were leering at his
sister.
nice girl –
a young, unmarried woman who does everything right, doesn’t break
the rules, and doesn’t go out with a lot of men
* His mother always asks him, “Why can’t you date a nice girl like Kass?”
reputation –
the way that other people think about someone, especially if they
think about a woman in a negative way because she is too sexual
* Amanda is getting a reputation because she’s dating too many boys at the
same time.
easy –
a woman who has sex with men soon after she meets them; a woman
who has many sexual partners
* Her mother told her to never have sex until she’s married, or else men will think
she’s too easy.
to jump to the wrong conclusions –
to quickly form an incorrect opinion; to
decide what one thinks about something so quickly that one has the wrong idea
* When you came to work late on your first day, I thought you were one of those
people who are always late, but I must have jumped to the wrong conclusion,
because you haven’t been late at all.
promiscuous –
having sex with many different people; having many sexual
partners
* Soldiers serving overseas have a reputation for being promiscuous.
based on (something) –
relying on something; with information related to
something; with information about something
* We chose a price for our home based on how much other homes in the area
were selling for.
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ESL Podcast 450 – Getting a Bad Reputation
to boast –
to brag; to talk about something that one has done or something good
that has happened to oneself so that other people will be envious
* Ulysses spent most of the party boasting about how much money he makes in
his job.
conquest –
win; someone whom one has had a sexual relationship with
* A gentleman never talks about his conquests.
credibility –
believability; deserving to be trusted or believed in
* Reynolds lost a lot of credibility when his boss found out that he had lied about
how many sales he’d made in March.
rumor –
information that people tell to each other, often about other people’s
secrets, and often not true
* Did you hear the rumor that Jeff played the character Chewbacca in Star Wars?
to go ballistic –
to get very angry or upset very quickly and unexpectedly
* The cashier went ballistic when I gave him a $50 bill and he didn’t have change.
catty –
someone who says mean or bad things about other people when they
are not near
* Magdalena is too catty, always saying bad things about her friends when
they’re not with her.
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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2009). 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 450 – Getting a Bad Reputation
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. How might people jump to the wrong conclusions about Kim?
a) They might think she isn’t very smart.
b) They might think she sleeps with many men.
c) They might think she doesn’t dress well.
2. What does Lance mean when he says, “don’t go ballistic on me”?
a) He doesn’t want Paulina to make jokes about him.
b) He doesn’t want Paulina to tell Kim what he said.
c) He doesn’t want Paulina to be angry at him.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
easy
The word “easy,” in this podcast, means a woman who has sexual relationships
with men soon after she meets them: “Many people think that Raquel is easy, but
the truth is that she’s never had sex.” The word “easy” also means simple or not
difficult: “I did the math assignment in just five minutes because it was really
easy.” The phrase “as easy as apple pie” is used to talk about things that are
very easy: “Using the microwave is as easy as apple pie.” The phrase “to take it
easy” means to relax: “You’ve had a long week, so let’s take it easy this
weekend, staying at home to sleep, read, and watch movies.” The same phrase
can also mean to calm down and become less angry or upset: “Take it easy!
There’s no need to be so angry.”
to go ballistic
In this podcast, the phrase “to go ballistic” means to get very angry or upset very
quickly and unexpectedly: “Mikhail’s mom went ballistic when he broke her
favorite vase.” “Ballistics” is the study of how things like bullets and bombs move
through the air: “Bi Hong is studying ballistics in the Army.” A “ballistic missile” is
a powerful bomb that can travel high up in the air over very long distances and
then explode or blow up when it touches the ground or a building: “How often
does the army send ballistic missiles into that area?” Finally, when talking about
exercising, “ballistic stretching” is a way of moving one’s body to warm up the
muscles by bouncing, making the same movements repeatedly: “Trent does
ballistic stretching for five minutes before he starts running.”
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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2009). 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 450 – Getting a Bad Reputation
CULTURE NOTE
Many people have a bad reputation, not only “socially” (connected with friends),
but also “professionally” (connected with work). People can have a bad
reputation for being “selfish” (not sharing with others), mean, “thoughtless”
(inconsiderate, accidentally hurting other people’s feelings), dirty, or “lazy” (not
wanting to do work). It’s easy to get a bad reputation, but difficult to “fix” (correct)
it.
Some experts have advice about how to fix a bad reputation. They say that if
you “realize” (find out and begin to understand) that you have a bad reputation,
the first thing that can be done is to “determine” (find out) whether it is “justified”
(fair and rational). Has your “behavior” (the things one does) created the bad
reputation, or are people saying untrue things about you? Ask a friend or co-
worker to help you understand whether your reputation is justified.
If the bad reputation is justified, you may want to try to fix it. First, try to identify
the behaviors that you want to change and begin making those changes each
and every day. The next step is to “apologize” (say that one is sorry) to the
people who have been hurt by your behavior. If you have a reputation for being
lazy, apologize to your co-workers who have had to work harder because you
weren’t doing your part of the work. Then tell your co-workers that you’re trying
to change and ask them for their “support” (help).
If the bad reputation is “unjustified” (not fair; irrational), then it’s important to learn
why you have that reputation. Has someone been “gossiping” (saying things that
are not true about a person when he or she isn’t near) about you? If so, speak
with that person and calmly discuss it. Once you have “confronted” (spoken
directly with) the gossiper, he or she will probably stop saying those things and
your reputation should “improve” (get better).
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c
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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2009). 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 450 – Getting a Bad Reputation
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 450: Getting a Bad
Reputation.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast number 450. 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 that contains information to help you improve your English even faster.
This episode is called “Getting a Bad Reputation.” It’s a dialogue between Lance
and Paulina talking about a woman and her “reputation,” or what other people
think of her. Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Lance: Did you see Kim at the party last Saturday?
Paulina: Yeah, I saw her. Why?
Lance: She was wearing a skimpy dress and all of the men were leering at her
all night. I used to think she was a nice girl. Isn’t she worried that she’ll get a
reputation?
Paulina: A reputation for what?
Lance: For being…you know.
Paulina: No, I don’t know.
Lance: For being easy! It doesn’t take much for people to jump to the wrong
conclusions when a woman is dressed like that.
Paulina: So based on one dress she wore to a party, you’re ready to consider
her promiscuous.
Lance: No, not just based on that. The guys at the party were talking and one of
them said he used to date her, and he said…
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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2009). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
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