#0770 – Joining a Tour, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
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English as a Second Language Podcast
www.eslpod.com
ESL Podcast 770 – Joining a Tour
GLOSSARY
tour
– an organized journey to see or explore a city, area, site, or museum
* Should we pay for a tour of Bangkok, or just explore it on our own?
to make (one’s) way
– to explore something by oneself, without a guide or
leader, doing what interests one at that particular moment, without having a clear
plan ahead of time
* They slowly made their way through the museum, pausing to look at the most
interesting pieces of artwork.
leisurely
– slowly; not rushed; in a calm, enjoyable way
* They met for leisurely drinks after work and ended up staying at the bar talking
for almost three hour.
site
– a place that is visited, especially someplace that is a recognized landmark
or important part of a larger city
* What’s the more popular site in New York City: the Empire State Building or the
Statue of Liberty?
pace
– speed; how quickly something is done or how quickly one moves
* Math 201 moves through the material at a quicker pace than Math 101.
to take in
– to view, experience, and appreciate something
* How many hours would you need to really take in all the artwork at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art?
to rush through
– to do something very quickly, without enough time to enjoy or
appreciate it, or without enough time to do it well
* Drake rushed through the homework assignment and turned in a lot of answers
that were incorrect.
to come in
all shapes and sizes
– to have a lot of variety; for something to be
available in many different types
* Homes come in all shapes and sizes, so it can take a while to find the one you
want to buy.
strenuous
– difficult; demanding; requiring a lot of attention and/or the use of
physical effort; requiring a lot of strength and/or perseverance
* The hike was too strenuous for Maggie, so she turned around and went back to
the car to wait for everyone else to finish and come back.
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ESL Podcast 770 – Joining a Tour
to explore
– to travel around an unfamiliar area to see many different parts of it
and understand or experience it thoroughly
* Do you think we’ll ever be able to send astronauts to explore the planet Mars?
itinerary
– a planned schedule for a trip, showing what one will do, where, and
when
* Please send me a copy of your itinerary so I’ll know what you’re doing each day
while you’re gone.
rave review
– a very favorable statement about how good, interesting, or
enjoyable something is
* This new restaurant is getting rave reviews in the local newspaper. Do you
want to eat there this weekend?
tour guide
– a person who leads a group of individuals to an unfamiliar site,
explaining the history and importance of the place and providing additional
information about what those people are seeing
* The tour guide said that this was the first university in North America.
admission fee
– the amount of money paid to enter a museum, park, zoo, or
similar place
* The museum admission fee is normally $10.75, but it’s free on the first Tuesday
of each month.
accommodations
– lodging; the hotel, hostel, cabin, or room where one sleeps
while traveling
* If we stay with Aunt Samantha, we won’t need to worry about paying for
accommodations.
ground transportation
– vehicles used to get from one place to another,
including cars, buses, vans, trains, and subways; not air travel
* The hotel provides free ground transportation to and from the airport.
built-in
– included as a part of something else in its original design
* Older homes have a lot of beautiful built-in closets and cupboards.
alternative
– another option; another way to do something; one of several
available possibilities
* If you don’t want to spend so much money on gas, your alternative is to take
the bus.
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 770 – Joining a Tour
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Why doesn’t Darrel want to go on a tour?
a) Because he thinks he won’t be able to understand the guide.
b) Because he thinks he won’t have enough time to see everything.
c) Because he doesn’t want to be part of a large group.
2. What is included in the tour package?
a) Food and drinks.
b) Hotel rooms.
c) Airfare.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
to take in
The phrase “to take in,” in this podcast, means to view, experience, and
appreciate something: “When they finally reached the top of the mountain, they
stopped hiking to eat a snack and take in the scenery.” The phrase “to take in”
also means to make a piece of clothing a little bit smaller by sewing part of it:
“Greg lost a lot of weight and had to have his pants taken in.” The phrase “to
take (someone) in” means to let a person or animal live with you when that
person or animal doesn’t have anywhere else to live: “Sheila often takes in stray
dogs and cats.” Finally, the phrase “to be taken in” means to be tricked,
deceived, or fooled by someone: “Do many people get taken in by emails that
request the password to a bank account?”
rave
In this podcast, a “rave review” is a very favorable statement about how good,
interesting, or enjoyable something is: “The actors were very pleased when their
performance on opening night got rave reviews in the local newspaper.” As a
verb, “to rave” means to talk excitedly about something one likes, enjoys, or
recommends: “Everyone is raving about the new Korean restaurant downtown.”
Young people use the word “rave” to talk about a very large dance with loud
music and illegal drugs: “Why don’t the police do anything to stop the raves
downtown?” Finally, the phrase “to rant and rave” means to talk about something
uncontrollably in a negative way: “I’m tired of hearing Jans rant and rave about
how nobody else works as hard as he does.”
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ESL Podcast 770 – Joining a Tour
CULTURE NOTE
Popular Family Vacation Destinations
U.S. News and World Report, a national newspaper, has created a list of the 15
best family vacation “destinations” (places to go) in the United States. Here are
some of the “highlights” (most interesting or most important parts).
According to the report, the “top” (best; #1) destination for a family vacation is the
Grand “Canyon” (a very deep, narrow valley cut into rocks or mountains by a
river) in Arizona. The report “notes” (comments; mentions) that the Grand
Canyon has many “natural attractions” (pieces of nature that are interesting to
see), a railway, hiking, rafting, “kayaking” (a boat like a small canoe), and many
restaurants.
The report’s second choice is Yosemite, a national park in California. Like the
Grand Canyon, Yosemite offers “an abundance of” (many) natural attractions and
outdoor activities. Yosemite is also “relatively” (pretty; fairly) close to San
Francisco, where families can enjoy the “sights and sounds” (exciting aspects;
interesting parts) of a large city.
The third destination on the list is Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Disney
World is a “theme park” (a large, outdoor area for entertainment, organized and
designed around a theme) related to the Disney characters like Mickey Mouse
and Donald Duck. Disney World has many “rides” (large machines people sit in
that move around for entertainment) and other “attractions” (things of interest)
that are appropriate “for the entire family” (for people of all ages), as well as
plenty of hotels, restaurants and swimming pools. Disney World “bills itself as”
(calls itself; is marketed as) the happiest place on earth.
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – b
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 770 – Joining a Tour
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 770: Joining a
Tour.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 770. 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. Become a member, support this podcast, and
download a Learning Guide for each episode.
This episode is called “Joining a Tour.” We’re going to be taking a trip – a
vacation, and we’re going to be going with a group of other people. Let’s get
started.
[start of dialogue]
Darrel: What are you looking at?
Alice: Tours for our vacation. I was thinking that it’d be hard for us to get around
on our own, so I think joining a tour is a good idea.
Darrel: Really? I thought we’d make our way around leisurely to see the sites. I
don’t like the fast pace of tours. I’d rather have the time to take in each site, not
rush through it just to say I’ve been there.
Alice: Tours come in all shapes and sizes. I’m sure we can find one that isn’t too
fast-paced or strenuous for you.
Darrel: And I don’t want to eat all my meals with the tour group. I want some
time to explore on our own.
Alice: All right, I’m looking at a tour that has the perfect itinerary. It’s also gotten
rave reviews. It includes a tour guide, all admission fees, accommodations,
ground transportation, and most of the meals. And there are several free
mornings and afternoons built-in so we can explore on our own.
Darrel: I don’t know.
Alice: The alternative is for you to plan each stop of our trip.
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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2012). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
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