#0519 – Describing Family Relations, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 519 – Describing Family Relations
GLOSSARY
family reunion –
an event where relatives meet, usually for a few days, to
reconnect and strengthen their relationships with one another
* Last summer, we went to our family reunion and met a lot of cousins for the first
time.
extended family –
relatives who are not in one’s immediate family; relatives who
are not one’s parents, children, brothers, or sisters
* Her extended family includes six uncles and more than 20 cousins.
feud –
a very serious, long argument between two people or groups of people;
an argument that lasts for a very long time
* The two sisters have had a five-year feud over who should get their great-
grandmother’s paintings.
to hold a grudge –
to continue to be angry about something that happened a
long time ago, especially if the other person has already apologized or if there is
no real reason to still be angry
* Siegen is still holding a grudge against me for hitting his car, even though it
happened more than 10 years ago.
to make up –
to end an argument and become friendly again
* You and your brother haven’t spoken to each other in days. It’s time to tell him
you’re sorry and make up.
no love lost –
without feelings of love, affection, respect, or friendship
* There’s no love lost between Maude and Gretchen. They try to stay as far
away from each other as possible.
hard feelings –
resentment and anger, especially because of an argument or
something that happened in the past
* I hope you don’t have hard feelings about me getting the job that we both
applied for.
to look down on –
to disapprove of; to not like, especially because one thinks
one is better, more important, or more valuable
* Ophelia looks down on her neighbor because he’s a garbage collector and she
thinks it’s an unimportant job.
1
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
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 519 – Describing Family Relations
old money –
a rich family that has always had a lot of money and power, that is
passed down from one generation to the next
* How many U.S. presidents have come from old money?
to approve of –
to think that something is a good idea and support it
* What percentage of the population approves of the president’s plan for national
health care?
to look up to –
to admire and respect; to think that someone is a very good
person and try to be like him or her
* I’ve always looked up to Galina. She’s such a smart, strong woman.
close –
with an intimate relationship; with a lot of affection or love
* Marlene has been a close friend since we were in the third grade.
ancient history –
something that happened so long ago that most people have
forgotten about it and it doesn’t seem very important anymore
* Most people think it’s ancient history, but Kimberly is still really angry that her
first-grade teacher didn’t think she had a good singing voice.
to turn out –
to happen or end in an unexpected way, especially after a long
period of time
* Everyone thought the business would fail, but it turned out to be the most
successful store in the city!
to hold it against (someone) –
to blame someone for something; to think that
something bad that happened is the fault of a particular person
* Jose Antonio holds it against his parents that he wasn’t able to go to college. If
they had saved more money, they could have helped him pay for school.
to forgive and forget –
the idea that one should not blame people for bad things
that they have done in the past, and that one should even forget the bad things
that were done, because they are no longer important
* Everyone told us we should forgive and forget, but we’re still really angry that
our neighbors stole our lawnmower.
2
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
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 519 – Describing Family Relations
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Who would be part of your extended family?
a) Your parents.
b) Your sisters.
c) Your cousins.
2. What does James mean when he says there’s “no love lost” between his
aunts?
a) They look down on each other.
b) They look up to each other.
c) They don’t like each other.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
to look up to
The phrase “to look up to (someone),” in this podcast, means to admire and
respect someone, or to think that someone is a very good person and try to be
like him or her: “Most young children look up to their parents.” The phrase “to
look the other way” means to ignore something bad that is happening and not try
to stop it: “Most people knew about the accounting problems, but they just
decided to look the other way and not say anything.” The phrase “look what
you’ve done” is used when one is very angry about something bad that another
person has done: “Look what you’ve done! You spilled red wine all over the
carpet.” Finally, the phrase “just looking” is used in a store to tell a salesperson
that one doesn’t need help: “A: Do you need help finding anything, ma’am? B:
No thank you, I’m just looking.”
close
In this podcast, the word “close” means with an intimate relationship, or with a lot
of affection or love: “I feel very close to you, so I’m going to tell you a secret.”
The phrase “close, but no cigar” is used to talk about something that almost
happened or almost worked correctly, but didn’t: “Our team lost 6-7. Close, but
no cigar.” The phrase “too close for comfort” is used to describe something bad
or dangerous that almost happened, making one scared or frightened: “That
tornado was too close for comfort! We’re going to move to a part of the country
with fewer windstorms.” Finally, the phrase “close quarters” is used to describe
things that happen in a small space with many other people: “I’d go crazy if I had
to live in such close quarters all the time.”
3
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
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 519 – Describing Family Relations
CULTURE NOTE
Family reunions are often “attended by” (with the participation of) relatives who
haven’t seen each other in years, or perhaps have never met. That’s why a
typical family reunion begins with “icebreakers,” or social activities that are
designed to help people introduce themselves and feel comfortable speaking to
other people for the first time.
After doing icebreakers, the people at a family reunion often play games. These
might be “board games” (games played on a table), card games, or sports, like
baseball and volleyball. There is usually a lot of “storytelling,” where people
“reminisce” (talk about things that happened long ago) and share family stories.
Sometimes people share their old family photographs, asking relatives to help
them “identify” (find the name of) who the people are and tell stories about them.
Older family members may have more information about when photos were
taken and how those individuals “fit into” (had a place in) the family. People who
are interested in “genealogy” (the study of a family’s past relations) might ask the
oldest relatives to share everything they know about the family’s history.
Family members might try to make a “family tree,” or a large drawing showing
how people are related to each other. Similarly, a “family map” can be used to
show where family members live.
Many people take photos at family reunions, and sometimes there is a
“photography session,” where a professional photographer is hired to take
pictures of everyone there. These photos are saved “for posterity” (for future
generations).
Other family reunions are “less structured” (with fewer plans or activities), and
people just spend their time eating, talking, and playing together. No two family
reunions are “alike” (the same), because no two families are alike!
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – c
4
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
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 519 – Describing Family Relations
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast episode 519: Describing
Family Relations.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 519. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, in California.
Our website is eslpod.com. You can download a Learning Guide for this
episode. It contains all of the vocabulary, definitions, sample sentences,
additional definitions, comprehension questions, cultural notes, and a complete
transcript of everything we say. If you like this podcast and would like to support
it, please consider becoming a member of ESL Podcast.
This is dialogue about family relations. It’s going to use a lot of vocabulary you
might use in talking about the way members of your family get along, or don’t get
along. Let’s get started.
[start of dialogue]
Eri: What’s that?
James: It’s an invitation to a family reunion. Once every five years or so,
someone in the family organizes one.
Eri: Are you going?
James: I’m not sure. It’s always a little awkward seeing extended family. Did
you know that there used to be a big feud between my father and his brother?
Eri: No, what happened?
James: I’m not sure, but it was something that happened before they got
married. My father held a grudge for years. Then, about eight years ago, they
made up. There’s still no love lost between their wives, but at least there are no
hard feelings between the two of them any longer.
Eri: So you’ll go to the reunion?
James: I’m not sure. My mother’s side of the family has always looked down on
my father’s. She comes from old money and they didn’t approve of her marrying
5
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.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]