ESL Pod Official - Speak English Fluently by Listening (with Text)

I read in the local paper that a new public library had just opened two weeks ago in my neighborhood. I wanted to check it out. But first, I called the library to check the hours of operation. The librarian told me that they were open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 6 so I decided to see the new library for myself. I parked my car in the library parking lot and walked in. There were two library clerks behind the counter and a librarian at the reference desk . I walked around and spotted the non- fiction section and moved onto the fiction stacks. There was a pretty good collection in both of these areas. I wanted to see if they had a book I've been wanting to read so I went over to the computer to check the online catalogue. As it turns out, they had one copy and it had not been checked out. I wrote down the call number and went to the stacks. I found it right away. When I walked in, I also noticed that the library had music CDs, videos, and DVDs that could be checked out. I looked briefly at the collection but decided not to check out any right then. I had my book and I was all set. I stood in line and waited to check my book out. The library clerk said, "Next please," and I stepped up to the counter. I asked her what the loan period was for the book. She told me that the due date was three weeks from today. I gave her my library card. She scanned the bar code on my book and stamped the due date on the back of it. It was quick and easy. I was so glad to have a nice new library so close to home. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[A knock on the door.] Jeff: Come in. Julie: Hi, Dr. McQuillan, I'm Julie Taylor. I'm in your 2 o'clock class on Thursdays. Jeff: Hi, Julie. Have a seat. What can I do for you? Julie: I wanted to come see you during your office hours because I missed class last week. I had a family emergency . Jeff: I'm sorry to hear that. We went over a lot of material so make sure you get the notes from another student in class. Julie: Thanks, I will. Did you give any assignments ? Jeff: Yes, I assigned an essay on the topics in chapter 3 of your textbook. Julie: Oh, I see. Are there guidelines for the essay? Jeff: Yes, it should be 8-10 pages and it's due in two weeks. Take a look at your syllabus. It has more details. Julie: I will. Thanks a lot. I've also been meaning to talk to you about the trouble I'm having keeping up in class. I'm having trouble understanding the lectures. Is there anything you would suggest? Jeff: Some students tape record the lectures and listen to them afterwards. That seems to help. Julie: That's a great idea. I'll definitely try that. I'm wondering if you give extra credit in your class? Jeff: No, I don't give extra credit assignments. But if you're worried about passing, there are still two more tests to pull up your grade. Julie: Yes, I'll study hard for those. Thanks a lot for your time. Jeff: No problem. See you in class. Julie: Okay, Professor McQuillan, see you Thursday. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucy: Jeff, here's a question. I was just talking to Dawn. You know, they had their first wedding anniversary last week. Guess what her husband gave her as a present. Jeff: I don't know. What? Lucy: He gave her a vacuum cleaner . Jeff: Didn't she want a vacuum cleaner? Lucy: Yes, the old one was broken, but that's not the point! It was their wedding anniversary, their first one. Dawn was really upset that he wasn't more romantic. He really let her down. Jeff: Oh, great. Women are always saying that men aren't romantic. But we are! Just not in the way that women want. Lucy: What do you mean? Jeff: It's a man's job to protect his wife and family. When something goes wrong, they want to fix it. That's the mark of a good husband. Lucy: I can see that, but that's not romantic in my book. Jeff: That's because you women have this idealized view of romance that you get from a lifetime of watching chick flicks and reading romance novels. Even if a man wanted to, he could never get into the head of a woman and guess what she wanted. That's why women have to just tell us what they want. Lucy: That's the problem. We women think men should just know what we want, without us having to tell them that is, if the man really loved and understood us. That's why we don't want to tell you. But, I see your point, too. Jeff: So, I guess it's really true. Men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Lucy: Yeah, that's what makes life interesting, right? Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I really wanted to see the new exhibit at the art museum and invited Lucy to come along. We both like contemporary art and this was an exhibition for an artist that we've both liked, ever since she was an up and coming artist 10 years ago. This was a retrospective so there was going to be a lot of different types of work by the artist. There would be some of the artist's paintings, her early work. There would also be some of her sculptures. Her most recent work is mixed media. This is very versatile and that's one of the reasons I like her work so much. We were going to the opening of the exhibition, with a wine and cheese reception for the artist. When we arrived in the main gallery , there were already a lot of people there. Looking around, I could see that some were artists themselves and some were art critics. I'm sure there were collectors there, too. I knew the curator and looked around for him. I spotted him talking with a group of people in the corner, probably trying to talk up the gallery and the artist. After a little while, the curator said a few words and then introduced the artist. We got a chance to meet her briefly and she was very gracious. I'm glad that someone with her talent has made it in the art world. That's not easy to do. And, I think her best work is still to come. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Friday night and my roommate and I feel like staying in. We've both had a tough week at work and decided to have a low-key evening. On my way home, I stopped at the video rental store and rented a couple of movies. I got a new release and a classic. I thought I had left my membership card at home but found it at the last minute. I like going to my local rental store because it doesn't charge late fees. That's handy when I don't have time to return the DVDs the next day. My roommate and I were feeling too tired to go out to eat so we decided to order in. We mulled over the take-out menus from restaurants that had delivery service and couldn't decide which restaurant to order from. The trouble was that we had never eaten at the two restaurants nearby. Ordering from either one would be crapshoot. In the end, we just decided to order a pizza. I called the restaurant and placed our delivery order. About a half hour later, the delivery person came to the door. I asked him if I could pay with a credit card and he said, "Sure." I handed him my card and he wrote down the number. Then, I signed the slip and I added a tip to the total. He gave me a copy of the slip as a receipt and then handed me the pizza. I was really glad to get it. I was starving. With our movies and the pizza, we were all set. There's nothing like a night at home vegging out to get over a hectic week. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The local branch of my bank is located just a few blocks from where I live. It's very convenient, since it has four ATMs open 24/7. Today I had to go in to make a deposit, but since I wanted to cash a check as well, I needed to go inside to talk to a teller. Inside the bank, I got in line for the tellers. All the tellers are behind a large piece of bulletproof glass , so you have to speak up when you are talking to them. Anyway, when I got to the head of the line, the cashier said, "How may I help you?" "Well," I said, "I'd like to deposit this payroll check into my checking account, and cash this cashier's check ." "Certainly," she said, "just endorse the back of both checks and put them in the tray." "Sure. And, I can get that in small bills--10s and 20s?" I waited for her to process my checks. Then she said, "Here you are ," and counted out the cash and put it in an envelope. I said, "Thank you!" and walked away. Now that I have some money burning a hole in my pocket, I guess I better spend it! Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was driving down the Santa Monica freeway yesterday, headed towards downtown, when all of a sudden I see my engine light come on. Needless to say, that's not the sort of thing one likes to see. So I immediately pull over to the side of the road and park on the shoulder . I pop the hood and look to see what the problem might be. I'm no mechanic. I barely know how to change the oil and the wiper fluid‚ but perhaps something would pop out at me. The car didn't overheat, since there was no steam coming out of the radiator . I checked the battery cables, and the battery was definitely not dead. I didn't know quite what else to do, so I pulled out my cell phone and called AAA for a tow to the nearest repair shop. I started worrying about all the things it could be‚Äîthe fuel pump, the transmission, the electrical system. Who knows? I just had new brakes put in a month ago, so I knew it couldn't be that. The tow truck finally arrived and we went to a nearby mechanic. He checked everything, and then told me that he had found the problem: the engine light sensor was broken! I now had to take it into the dealer to get it fixed. Well, at least it didn't end up costing me an arm and a leg. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My friend Jim and I decided to see the latest blockbuster this weekend. I like a good action movie once in a while. We decided to meet at the movie theater after work. When I got the theater, I looked around and didn't see Jim. So, I thought I would get in line to buy tickets. There were two different lines so I asked a woman standing in the first one, "Is this the line for Mission Impossible 4?" and she said, "Yes, I'm afraid it is." I turned around and saw why she said that. It was really long and had about 20 people in it already. Oh, well. I went to the back of the line and waited. About 10 minutes later, I saw Jim coming up the escalator. He looked out of breath. He said, "Hey, sorry for being so late. I hit a lot of traffic on the way over." I told him, "Don't worry about it. As you can see, we have a long wait.‚" We finally got up to the head of the line. The clerk behind the ticket window said, "Can I help you?" and I said, "Two tickets for MI-4, please." We weren't children, students, or seniors, so there were no special discounts for us. The clerk handed me two tickets and we headed inside. There was a ticket taker just inside the door and he took our tickets, handing back to us our stubs. Coming straight from work , I was really hungry. Jim and I went to the concession stand and got a couple of Cokes, a tub of popcorn, a hotdog, and a box of candy. We were set. We went into the screening room and it was packed. Lucky for us, we found some seats together that weren't too close to the screen. We sat back and waited for the movie to start. While we watched 10 minutes of previews we wolfed down our food. By the time the movie started, I was feeling pretty good. I don't know which was better: The movie or the great junk food! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(The phone rings.) Lucy: Hello. Jeff: Hey Lucy, it's Jeff. Lucy: Hey, welcome back. How was your vacation? Jeff: Oh, it was great. The seven days in New York was a blast. Lucy: Oh, yeah? Did you do any sightseeing or just visit with friends? Jeff: I got to do both, actually. First, I saw my friend Edmundo who just moved there. He hadn't seen much of the city himself so we went to all the tourist spots. We got a guidebook and went to the major museums, saw a play, went to a concert in Central Park, and took the Staten Island Ferry. We did all of that in a day and a half. It was a whirlwind, but we got to see a lot. Lucy: A day and a half?! You guys must have been exhausted. Jeff: Yeah, we were. But, the rest of my trip was pretty low key. My friends Pat and Billie rented a car and we took a road trip to Upstate New York to visit some other friends of ours. Lucy: Did you have to stay over in a hotel along the way, or did you drive straight through ? Jeff: We didn't bother with booking hotel rooms so we just drove straight there. It wasn't that far. Lucy: How long did you stay there? Jeff: We were only there two days and we drove back and got back last night. My flight was this morning at 8 a.m. The worst part of the whole trip was that my flight was cancelled. I was rebooked onto another flight that had a three-hour layover in Chicago. That was a major pain. Lucy: It sounds like it. Well, I'm glad you made it back okay. And, you even have the weekend to rest up before work on Monday. Jeff: Yeah, I'll need it. I've got to catch up on my sleep! Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Going to the doctor is never particularly pleasant for me. But I couldn't put it off any longer. It was time for my annual physical, and there was no getting around it. So I picked up the phone and called for an appointment. "I'd like to see Dr. Shimoya next week, please, if that's possible," I said. Of course, it wasn't possible. The doctor was booked until next month, the receptionist told me. "Okay," I said, "let's schedule it for next month.‚" When the day arrives, I drive over to the doctor and check-in at the receptionist desk. I have to present my HMO card and pay the co-pay of $15.00. The receptionist instructs me to go to waiting room B, down the hall, first door on the right. So I go there and take a seat to wait. And wait. And wait. Finally, my name is called and I go into see the doctor. The nurse weighs me, takes my temperature and blood pressure, and asks me why I'm there. I tell her it's time for my yearly check- up. She tells me to follow her to the examination room, and then to strip down to my underwear. Now I'm sitting on the exam table, half- freezing, waiting for the doctor to show up . Finally, he walks in, looks at my chart, and begins his examination. "Breathe," he says, as he places the stethoscope on my chest. "Breathe in and out slowly," he says. I do so. Then he checks my throat and has me lay down to check my abdomen. Finally, he orders a blood test and says, "Well, you're good for another year, Mr. McQuillan." Thank goodness, I think to myself, and get dressed to leave. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My interview is today. It is with a marketing company. It is a large corporation with its headquarters in San Francisco, CA. It also has satellite offices across the U.S. and in Europe. I'm not sure if this would be the right fit for me, but I'm keeping an open mind. I got some sound advice from my aunt. She said that I should be confident but not cocky. That means I have to look for opportunities to talk about my qualifications, but don't make the mistake of boasting or worse, making things up. I do that sometimes when I get really nervous. My brain stops working and my mouth takes over. I need to be respectful but not meek. I want to be professional with everyone, my co-workers and my bosses. But, I don't want them to think that I would let my co-workers walk all over me. I should show them that I'm a team- player. Nobody likes a person who tries to grab the limelight all of the time, especially if they're new, like me. Okay, I think I'm ready. I have my resume, my transcript, and the address of the office where I'm going for the interview. Now, all I need are my shoes Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've finally landed my first interview. Well, actually, that's not really true. I have been on many interviews for part-time jobs. This was my first interview for a full-time job. In less than two months, I will graduate from Arizona University. After a lot of back and forth trying to decide on a major, I finally decided to double major. I would study both political science and marketing. These are not majors that usually go together. In fact, most people thought I was crazy. But, after a lot of soul searching, I decided to combine my two main interests: 1. politics and 2. getting a job! Those are my two priorities. I thought that if I get degrees in these two fields, I could cast a wide net when going job hunting. And, that's what I'm trying to do now. Since I don't know if I want to work in the public or private sector, I've applied for jobs in both. In the public sector, I could work for the government. Maybe one day, I could even be a speech writer for the President! Okay, maybe I should shoot a little lower. In the private sector, I could work for private organizations such as museums, schools, or programs. Some of those are non-profit. Or, I could work for a company. Everybody tells me that that's where the money is. I haven't decided yet. I'm planning to apply for a lot of jobs and will see what happens. What I want now is just to get some job offers. Then, I can start being picky. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dear Dr. Lee: I don't know if you'll remember me, but I introduced myself to you after your keynote at last week's conference. As I mentioned to you, I have read all of your journal papers and I am a great admirer of your research. Your article in the top journal Language Learning was groundbreaking. The reason I am contacting you is that I would like to come to your university to study with you. I met some of your students at the conference and they couldn't stop singing your praises as a professor and as an advisor. I don't know if you are accepting any new students for the next year, but if so, I hope you will consider me. I have included two attachments to this email. I am sending a copy of my CV , and I am also including a research paper I completed this year. I hope that these will give you an idea of my qualifications and experience. Please let me know if you need more information or more samples of my academic work. It was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you at the conference and I hope to hear more about your research at a future conference. Sincerely, Lucy Hocevar Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm not what you would call the world's best negotiator, but sometimes it's necessary to engage in a tough negotiation. Take, for instance, the time I had to renew the lease on my apartment. This was back in college, when I was renting a small studio in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles. When my lease was up , the landlord and I sat down to hammer out the terms of a new lease. "I'll tell you what I'm going to do," he said. "I'm going to give you a break on rent if you sign a two-year lease instead of just a one-year lease." "Well," I said, "I don't know. What sort of break are we talking about here?‚" "I'll give you a 5% rent increase instead of a 10% increase in exchange for you signing a two-year lease. It's win-win situation: you get a cut in rent, and I get the security of a two-year lease.‚" At this point, I decided to make a counter-proposal . "How about this," I said, "You give me a one year lease with a six percent increase.‚" "No, I can't make that sort of deal," he said. "But here's what I can do, and it's my final offer: I'll pay for your electricity for the first 6 months of the lease, along with the other terms I mentioned before.‚" "You drive a hard bargain okay, it's a deal," I said. I guess I could have tried to bargain him down a bit more, but I was happy with our agreement. Now all I had to do was sign on the dotted line . Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fall is once again upon us, and that means that homecoming celebrations are just around the corner. Homecoming is an American tradition each September and October for high schools and colleges where they celebrate their school spirit with a football game and other celebrations. I remember the homecoming events when I was in school. First, there was the election of a homecoming king and queen. Each class had its own representative, one boy and one girl, usually the most popular jock and the cutest cheerleader . Needless to say, I was neither, so I never stood a chance of being elected! The king and queen, though, were always from the senior class. All the events led up to the big game, played on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon, always a home game for the school celebrating their homecoming. In my school, we had a pep rally the day before the game, where the cheerleaders and dance team would do their thing on the stage. We also had a small parade before the game, where all the homecoming royalty and the marching band would go around the track of the stadium where the game was held, cheered on by alumni, parents, and students. Then we would watch the football game, which at my school, we usually lost. Script by Dr. Jeff McQuillan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's hard to watch TV these days without seeing reality shows. Some nights, it's hard to find a scripted drama to watch. There are so many different kinds of reality shows, too. The most popular one in the U.S. has been the "American Idol" show. This is a singing competition where amateurs try to impress the judges and the audience calls in to vote off a contestant each week. The last person left standing gets a recording contract. I think many countries now have a reality show like this. This show starts its fourth season this year and I think it'll be more popular then ever. Another popular reality show is "Big Brother." In this show, a group of people live together in the same house for about 15 weeks. They're not allowed to leave and they can't have visitors. The people chosen to live in the house are usually very different. This way, there is sure to be a lot of conflict. Some people form alliances and other people try to go it alone. The contestants compete in games and each week, the other contestants vote off one person from the show. Why would anyone want to be on "Big Brother?" The answer is easy: money. The last person remaining gets a huge prize-in the U.S. show, a half a million dollars. Even I'd live in a house full of strangers for that kind of cash . Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I moved into the new apartment last month and decided to invite a few friends over for a house-warming party. I didn't want to spend the day cooking, so I decided to have a barbeque. The food would be easy to prepare and I could cook it when my friends got here. But first, I had to go get a few things at the supermarket. I got to the store and got a cart. I started out in the meat department. It wouldn't be a barbeque without hamburgers so I bought some ground beef. I also picked up some chicken breasts and hot dogs. I skipped the seafood counter since I didn't want to bother with fish. Then, I was off to the produce department. I got some corn on the cob and a lot of vegetables for grilling for my friends who are vegetarians. Then, I was off to the bakery section. I needed buns for the hamburgers and hot dogs, and I also bought some cookies for dessert. Then, I was almost done. I went down each aisle looking for the condiments-- the ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise. And, just before wrapping things up, I went to the liquor department and got some beer, wine, and soda. Nearly everyone I invited asked if they could bring something for the party and but I told them no. I would have plenty of food and drink. That was it. I stood in line at the check-out stand, staring at the magazine rack full of tabloids, until the cashier rang me up. The shopping went off without a hitch. Now, all I have to do is clean my messy apartment. That's the hard part. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My niece is turning 8 next week and I decided to buy her a new pet. She had been asking her parents for a pet for a long time. But, they were worried about taking care of a pet. I told them I would go to the pet store to see if I could find a pet that wouldn't be too much of a bother. I walked into a big pet store and looked around. I saw cages with dogs and cats. There were also bird cages with birds of every color. I even saw some snakes! I saw a sales clerk and asked him for help. I told him that I was looking for a pet that was easy to take care of. He suggested a cat or a kitten. But, I told him that my niece was allergic to cats. Then, he suggested a puppy. I walked over to the rows of dog kennels and asked the clerk how often they needed to be walked. He said that usually, they needed to be taken out three to five times a day. That was much too much work, I told him. He then showed me some birds, including a parrot. Then, I asked him how often the cages had to be cleaned, and when he told me, I nixed that idea. Finally, he took me to the back of the store. I have the perfect pet for you, he said. I looked around and saw acquariums full of fish. There were about 20 different kinds. The clerk said that they were very easy to take care of. With the right equipment, you don't have to clean the tank regulary and all you have to do is feed the fish. That was it! The perfect solution. The next time I visited my niece, she told me she loved her fish. She had named them all. She even named one after me. It was called "Jeffish." Get it? Now, she's happy and so are her parents. Just before I left, my niece asked me: When can we go to Disneyland ? Ah, the work of an uncle is never done. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I needed a new dress for a wedding I was attending next week so I went to the mall during my lunch hour. The mall had a big variety of stores, including two department stores so I was sure to find something that was just right. I found a space in the parking structure and entered the mall through the main entrance. This was right next to the food court. Okay, where to start? I headed to one of the two department stores. On the way there, though, I saw a nice dress in a window display of a women's clothing store. I decided to go in. As I walked in, I saw a sales clerk hanging some shirts on a rack. She said, "Hi, can I help you find something?‚" "Oh, I'm just browsing," I said. "Okay. Let me know if you need any help." I told her "thanks" and started looking around the store. There were some nice sweaters folded on the shelves and some dress pants on the racks. I made my way toward the back of the store and found the same dress I saw in the window display. And, it was on sale! It was 50% off. I started looking for my size. There were plenty of smalls and larges, but no mediums. The sales clerk was walking by just then so I asked her, "Do you have any other sizes in the back?" But, I was out of luck. This was all they had. "But," she said, "I have this dress in a medium and it's been marked down, too. Would you like to try it on?" I said I did and followed her to the dressing room. She said, "My name is Cheryl. Let me know if you need anything else." I tried the dress on and it fit perfectly. I liked the color, too. I took the dress to the register. The sales clerk asked, "Are you ready?" I told her I was and she started ringing me up. The clerk told me the total and asked me, "How would you like to pay for this?‚" "With my MasterCard," I said and handed her my credit card. She processed the card and asked me sign the credit card receipt. She handed me a copy and a bag with my new dress in it. She said, "There you go. I hope you like the dress. Thanks for coming in.‚" I thanked her and left. I couldn't believe I got my shopping done so quickly. There's a first time for everything. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was so glad it was Friday afternoon. I've been thinking--TGIF--all day. I was on my way out of the office when I saw Nick sitting at his desk. Even though the office was nearly empty, he didn't look like he was ready to leave. In fact, he looked like he was still swamped with work. Linda: Hi, Nick. You're here late. Nick: Yeah, it looks like this may be an all-nighter. I just got a project dumped in my lap. Linda: You're kidding! On Friday afternoon? What happened? Nick: Well, the person who was put in charge of this project went on maternity leave this week and the person who was supposed to take it over just resigned. Linda: I can't believe that. When is the deadline? I hope you're getting some extra help. Nick: The project is due first thing Monday morning. And, with the lay-offs recently, I think I'm on my own on this one. Linda: Why don't you bring me up to speed? Maybe I can help. Nick: No, it's Friday. You look like you're about to head home. I can't ask you to do that. Linda: I don't have any big plans for tonight. So, I'll tell you what. I'm having some trouble finishing the budget on my proposal and I know you're a whiz at numbers. Why don't I stay and help you with your project for the next few hours and you can give me a hand with my budget next week. Nick: That's really nice of you. It would be a big relief. I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed and I know you've done a project like this before. Okay, you've got a deal! Linda: Good! Now, let's see what we've got. Script by Dr. Lucy Tse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.