#0847 – Experiencing a Blackout, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 847 – Experiencing a Blackout
GLOSSARY
to blow a fuse
– to use so much electricity in one circuit (path) in a building that
the fuse (a protective device) shuts off the electricity
* If we use the microwave, the blender, the coffee maker, and the toaster at the
same time, it blows a fuse.
blackout
– a period of time when there are no lights, usually because no
electricity is available
* During times of war, the country sometimes had planned blackouts to conserve
energy.
pitch black
– extremely dark, without any light
* Last night, the sky was so cloudy that we couldn’t see the moon or any stars,
making it pitch black outside.
power outage
– a period of time when there are no lights, usually because no
electricity is available
* It’s common to have power outages during strong windstorms, but the power is
usually turned back on within a few hours.
circuit
– a path for electricity to follow between two points
* Which of these circuits is for the kitchen?
overloaded
– with too much demand for something, so that it stops working and
is no longer available
* As soon as the company announced the sales prices, its phone lines and
website were overloaded by too many buyers.
electricity
– power; energy carried through wires or cables, used to make
machines operate and to provide light and heat
* Their electricity bill is highest in the wintertime when they use an electric
furnace to heat their home.
power grid
– a network of utilities and the users of electricity, connecting them to
supply electricity when and where it is needed
* Are there regional power grids, or is the entire nation using a single power grid?
citywide
– across a city; covering the entire area of a city; not leaving any part of
the city unaffected
* The police officers are reporting a decrease in crime rates citywide.
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ESL Podcast 847 – Experiencing a Blackout
candle
– a solid piece of wax that surrounds a string that is lit on fire to provide
light from a flame as it burns very slowly
* Make sure you blow out all the candles before you fall asleep, or you might
accidentally start a house fire.
there’s no telling
– a phrase used to mean that it is impossible to know what will
happen or how or when it will happen
* There’s no telling how many young people were killed in the war.
rolling blackouts
– the controlled shutdown of power in one area for a certain
period of time, followed by another area and then another area, used to distribute
energy fairly and keep the system active when people are demanding more
energy than what is available
* Almost everyone lost power for a few hours during the rolling blackouts, except
for people in homes near the hospital, which never lost power.
surge
– a sudden increase that lasts for a short period of time
* Toy companies experience a surge in sales in the months before Christmas.
darkness
– without light; blackness
* Some people say that living with depression is like living in darkness.
perfectly
– completely; entirely; a word used to emphasize the adjective that
follows it
* Why are you throwing out that perfectly good food? Put it in a container and I’ll
take it to work for lunch tomorrow.
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English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 847 – Experiencing a Blackout
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1. Which of these things is planned?
a) A blackout.
b) A power outage.
c) Rolling blackouts.
2. Which of these things provides light?
a) A power grid.
b) A candle.
c) A surge.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
to blow a fuse
The phrase “to blow a fuse,” in this podcast, means to use so much electricity in
one circuit (path) in a building that the fuse (a protective device) shuts off the
electricity: “Can I charge my electric car in your garage, or will it blow a fuse?”
The phrase “to blow a fuse” also means to become very angry very quickly and
lose control of one’s words and/or actions: “It’s never appropriate to blow a fuse
and yell at your colleagues like that in the workplace.” Finally, someone who has
“a short fuse” has a short temper and becomes angry very quickly and easily:
“Olivia’s father has a short fuse, so she is scared to tell him about her poor
grades.”
surge
In this podcast, the word “surge” means
a sudden increase that lasts for a short
period of time: “During the war, there was a surge of emigration as people tried to
leave the country.” Or, “What could be causing the surge in tropical diseases?”
The word “surge” can also refer to the movement of a lot of people: “Ingrid lost
her children in the surge of the crowd.” An “electrical surge” refers to a sudden
increase in the amount of electricity traveling on a wire or cable: “The power
company is looking for ways to prevent against electrical surges.” Finally, a
“surge protector” is a long, rectangular device that one can plug expensive
electronic devices into to protect them from sudden changes in the amount of
electricity that is available: “It’s always a good idea to use a surge protector for
computer equipment.”
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ESL Podcast 847 – Experiencing a Blackout
CULTURE NOTE
Notable Blackouts
The two most “notable” (important and worth noticing or talking about) blackouts
in the United States “occurred” (happened) in the northeastern part of the country
and affected millions of people.
The northeast blackout of 1965 affected more than 30 million people over an
80,000-square mile area extending into Ontario, Canada and much of the
northeastern part of the United States. Some people were left “in the dark”
(without electricity) for as much as 12 hours. The blackout was caused a few
days earlier, when workers had “installed” (put in place) a safety device
incorrectly. As a result, the “power line” (cable) with that safety device was
incorrectly “disabled” (changed so it no longer worked) and the demand for
power was “shifted” (moved) to other lines, which were then overloaded and also
became disabled.
The northeast blackout of 2003 occurred in mostly the same area, but it affected
about 55 million people. For most of the affected “population” (group of people),
power was restored between seven and 16 hours after the blackout had begun.
“Initially” (at first), some people “feared” (were worried that) the blackout was due
to “terrorism” (coordinated efforts to scare people by harming or killing civilians),
but soon it was clear that the blackout had been caused by a power surge that
affected the power grid. The power surge was “attributed to” (thought to have
been caused by) high electrical demand due to the use of air conditioning
equipment and fans on a hot August day.
Many people have “pointed to” (emphasized as an example) these and other
blackouts as “evidence” (proof; something showing that something else is true)
that the United States has an “outdated” (not modern) power grid that needs to
be “updated” (improved).
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – b
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ESL Podcast 847 – Experiencing a Blackout
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 847: Experiencing
a Blackout
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 847. I’m your host, Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
We have a website at eslpod.com. We have a Learning Guide membership that
you can get to support this podcast. Just go to our website for more information.
This episode is a dialog between George and Inga about what happens when
you don’t have any electrical power. Let’s get started.
[start of dialog]
George: Whoa, what happened?
Inga: The lights went out. Did we blow a fuse, or is this a blackout?
George: Well, I don’t see any lights on in any of the houses down the street. It’s
pitch black out there.
Inga: So it’s another power outage. Somehow the circuits got overloaded again.
I wonder how long we’ll have to do without electricity this time.
George: I wonder if it’s our power grid or if this is a citywide blackout. All right,
we’d better light a few candles. There’s no telling how long this will last.
Inga: No, it’s not like last summer when we had rolling blackouts because of the
surge in demand due to the heat. Do you remember how we passed those hours
of darkness?
George: Yes, I do. What are you suggesting?
Inga: I’m just saying that there’s no reason to waste a perfectly good blackout.
[end of dialog]
Our dialog begins with George saying, “Whoa. What happened?” “Whoa,” usually
spelled (whoa), is an expression of surprise. “What happened?” George asks.
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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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