Assignment 8: Listen to ESL Podcast 528

ESL Podcast 528 – Negotiating Salary

Note:

negotiation: formal discussion between people who are trying to reach an agreement
e.g. The rent is a matter for negotiation between the landlord and the tenant.

jump at sth: to enthusiastically accept an opportunity, offer, etc.
e.g I would jump at the chance to visit America with you


walk away(from sb/sth): to leave a difficult situation or relationship, etc. instead of staying and trying to deal with that.
e.g. If you walk away from a problem or a difficult situation, you do nothing about it or do not face any bad consequences from it.

be delighted to: very pleased
e.g. If someone invites or asks you to do something, you can say that you would be delighted to do it, as a way of showing that you are very willing to do it.

compensation package 補償方案
e.g. Perhaps we can give you an attractive compensation package if the salary isn’t quite what you’re looking for.

Reflection:
I think the ESL Podcast can really improve my English. Since teachers explain the conversation in detail, and I can easily get the main idea. Especially, the speed of ESL Podcast is not fast, and it is just fine for me.

Assignment7: Listen to Steve Job's talk

(a) Write down the expressions you learn from his talk.

stmble into something: to become involved in something by chance
e.g. I stumbled into acting when I left college.

screw up: to do something badly or spoil something
e.g. You really screwed up there.

start over: to begin again
e.g. She wasn't happy with our work and made us start over.

hitch-hike: to travel by asking for free rides in other people's cars, by standing at the side of the road and tring to get passing cars to stop
e.g. They hitch-hiked around Europe.

entrepreneur: a person who makes money by starting or running business, especially when this involves taking financial risks
e.g. An entrepreneur is a person who sets up businesses and business deals.

(b) Reflect on his thought

I like the way Jobs shared his life experience. Being a listener, these three stories really interested me. Some good words he said may help me in my life.

For example, "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." This is one of the sentences that inspired me in his speech. Because knowledge, like a sea, is boundless. We just cannot satisfied what we learn so far. Using this sentence in the ending, I think that is very motivational. Since audiences are graduated students, Jobs hoped them keep learing and never break off.

In a word, I think it is a fascinating speech.

Assignment 6:2 audio clips at Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab

Topic: Missing Children: Lost in a Crowd
Level: Easy
Type: Announcement
Speakers: Man
Length: 20 sec.

The quiz script as below

Store Announcement:

"Hello Shoppers. We have a lost boy named Marshall who was found in the sporting goods section of our store, and he's looking for his mom. He's five years old, and he's wearing a blue and white sweat shirt, tan pants, and a black and white baseball cap. You can find him at the check-out counter at the main exit. Thank you."Store Announcement:
"Hello Shoppers. We have a lost boy named Marshall who was found in the sporting goods section of our store, and he's looking for his mom. He's five years old, and he's wearing a blue and white sweat shirt, tan pants, and a black and white baseball cap. You can find him at the check-out counter at the main exit. Thank you."

tan: 1.a yellowish-brown color
2.(also sun•tan) [C] the brown colour that sb with pale skin goes when
they have been in the sun.
e.g. to get a tan
e.g. My tan’s fading already.

sweat shirt:A sweatshirt is a loose warm piece of casual clothing, usually
made of thick stretchy cotton, which covers the upper part of your body and
your arms.

cap: 1.a type of soft flat hat with a peak (= a hard curved part sticking out in front).
Caps are worn especially by men and boys, often as part of a uniform
e.g. baseball cap, cloth cap, mob cap

counter: 1.a long flat surface over which goods are sold or business is done in a
shop/store, bank.
e.g. I asked the woman behind the counter if they had any postcards.

section: 1.any of the parts into which sth is divided
e.g. That section of the road is still closed.



Topic: College Textbooks
Level: medium
Type: conversation
Speakers: man - woman
Length: 01:51

The quiz script as below

Carl: Hey, Sis. Are you interested in buying some used books for school? You can really save some money that way.
Ashley: Well, what do you have?
Carl: Well, let's see. I have a science book called, Today's World, and I'm selling it for thirty dollars.
Ashley: Thirty? That's a little expensive for a beat-up book like that.
Carl: Maybe so, but I bought it for sixty. Plus, I wrote a lot of notes in the book that should help you with the class . . . if you could read my writing.
Ashley: What else are you selling?
Carl: Okay, I have English writing textbook for fourteen dollars, a math book for twenty-three, and a novel for only seven bucks.
Ashley: Uh, Hmmm.
Carl: It's up to you. You know, these things go fast. I mean you have to listen to my advice as your older brother.
Ashley: Psh. I'll take the English book and the novel. I need both of those for sure. I think I'll hold off on buying other books for now. [Okay.] Teachers are always changing their minds about textbooks. [Alright.] And, what are those books?
Carl: Which ones? Ah, ah, nothing. Never mind.
Ashley: Wait, wait, wait. Finding Your Perfect Someone. You're selling it for forty dollars? What's, what's this all about? And the price?
Carl: Well. You . . It's a . . . It's just a marital relations class. You know about finding a partner. You know, mom's always, you know, on me about that. What does it matter to you anyway?
Ashley: Forty dollars? That's a little expense.
Carl: Well, they guarantee results, but ah, never mind. You would never understand.
Ashley: What about this one? Introduction to Gourmet Cooking? Why did you take this class? You hate cooking.
Carl: Well, um, I have a friend who's into cooking, and she's [She?] . . . I mean, my friend's taking the class. I mean, ugh, does it really matter?
Ashley: A marriage class . . . a close female friend . . . a cooking textbook . . . I think I get the picture. Mom's going to be excited about this.
Carl: Ah, you got it all wrong. So, do you want to buy any of these textbooks or not?

be on someone: complain about someone or something that a person does
e.g. His wife is always on him for spending so much money on textbooks and then not attending classes regularly.

be into something: be interested in something -
e.g. My brother is really into swimming. He goes to the pool everyday.

get the picture (idiom): understand
e.g. Kathy says she doesn't want to go out with me, but I think I get the picture now. She's just not interested in me.

hold off on: wait
e.g. My daughter decided to hold off on attending college this semester.

beat-up (adjective): in bad condition
e.g. I don't care if the book is all beat-up as long as it is cheap.

Assignment 5:listening diary-Decorating for the Holidays

My Notes(10/22):

Time form October through January, many homes are decorated for the holidays.
And Americans enjoy decorating their houses for holidays.

Particularly: It is the same as "especially"

Knickknack: a small decoration made out of paper or plastics

For most Americans, the most they do on holiday is eating.

For Summer holiday, Americans often go BBQ traditionally.
Or some people may take a trip to a cabin in the mountains to go fishing or go to beach.

Grill out: cooking on the grill. A grill is an object that the food is cooked done.

Fourth of July: independent’s day. People go seeing fireworks on this day.

In fall, football is popular.

Bomb fire: fires are built outside and use it to cook food

Extravagant: something is very fancy.

My Notes(10/23):

Jack: where in the basement?
This sentence means that there are lots of decorations in Jack’s house.

Jack: We have way too many boxes of different decorations if you ask me.
If you ask me: it just means in my opinion.
This expression is often used in spoken situation.

Get everyone in the mood: get everyone into the feeling to do something.

Sledding: it’s an activity that you sit on a sled which is a long and flat object that slide across the snow.
And this activity is popular in the colder part of America

Thanksgiving: Many families get together to eat turkey and lots type of food.
Christmas: Some families may only see each other during this time of the year.
Of course Christmas is the holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ.
These two holidays are important days to Americans.

String: It’s the measure word. It is used when describing long and thin things.

Sky-high: very high.

Lighten up: relax

Get into the act: Everyone participates in the specific activity.