ESL Podcast 307 – Cable and Satellite TV

Marion: I’m trying to decide whether to get cable or satellite TV. Which one do you have at your apartment?

Cesar: I have satellite, but I used to have cable.

Marion: What’s the difference?

Cesar: Not a lot. With satellite, you have to have a satellite dish installed on the roof and you don’t with cable. Otherwise, you get similar options. You can get basic channels and choose from a lot of different premium¹ channels. I have a package that includes the basic channels and some premium movie channels, and I also have a sports package so I can watch all of the soccer matches I want.

Marion: How much is the monthly fee?

Cesar: I think I pay $59.99 a month, excluding the taxes and fees, but the basic service is probably cheaper. When I had cable, I had to pay a deposit for the cable box, but with satellite, I had to buy the dish outright², but it wasn’t too expensive.

Marion: What I want are pay-per-view channels, so I don’t need to run to the video rental³ store every time I want to watch a movie.

Cesar: That’s not a problem. There’s video on demand on both cable and satellite, and there are a lot of movies to choose from.

Marion: That’s great. I’ll check out whether my local cable company or satellite service has better packages and make a decision this weekend.

Cesar: You could always start with the basic channels and then add services as you go along.

Marion: That’s a good idea, especially since I know someone who has premium channels and round-the-clock soccer.

Cesar: You bet. Drop by anytime, but don’t forget the beer and popcorn⁴!


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

2 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

3 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

4 popcorn   

n.爆米花

参考例句：

• I like to eat popcorn when I am watching TV play at home.当我在家观看电视剧时，喜欢吃爆米花。
• He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn.他仍站在收银机后，嘴里塞满了爆米花。