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ESL之日常生活 18 Getting Caught in the Rain

时间:2013-11-21 08:17来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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18 Getting Caught in the Rain

GLOSSARY1

drenched2 –soaked; very wet* You’re drenched!  What did you do, jump into a lake?

weather report – forecast; information about what the weather will probably be like later in the day or in the near future* According to the weather report, tomorrow should be sunny and windy.

weathercaster – a person who reports the expected weather on TV or radio* The weathercaster on this news program is correct about 80% of the time.

to get caught in – to be surprised by something; to have something happen (especially weather) when one is not expecting it* They were very scared when they got caught in a snowstorm in the mountains and didn’t have enough warm clothes.

soaking – drenched; very wet* These towels are still soaking. Please put them in the dryerfor another 30 minutes.

raindrop – one drop (piece) of rain; a small ball of water that falls from the sky* A few raindrops fell onto the car’s window, but then it became sunny again.

rainstorm – a storm with a lot of rain; weather where it rains heavily for a period of time* The shoppers waited by the store’s door until the rainstorm had stopped, and then they went to their cars.

umbrella – an object made from folding metal pieces that are covered with fabric3 or plastic and can be pushed out and heldover one’s head to keep one dry when it is raining* Do you prefer to use an umbrella or wear a raincoat?

to rain cats and dogs – to rain heavily; to rain very much; to pour* Charlene made her children play inside when it was raining cats and dogs.

to drizzle4 – to sprinkle; to rain only very slightly* Don’t worry!  It’s only drizzling5, so we won’t get too wet.

to let up – to gradually decrease; to slowly become less intense or less serious* The government is finally starting to let up its import restrictions6.

to count on (something) – to depend on something; to believe that something will happen* I’m counting on you to remember to pick up the kids after school today.

to pour – to rain very heavily; to rain very much* It’s pouring outside!  I’m not sure I want to drive two hours in this rain.

to round up(something) – to look for, find, and get something* Were you able to round up enough chairs for all of your guests last night?

raincoat – rain jacket; a piece of clothing that is worn over one’s regular clothing and made from a special fabric that keeps one dry when it is raining* This raincoat keeps me dry, but it doesn’t keep me very warm, so I have to wear a sweater under it.

to wring7 out (something) – to hold a wet piece of fabric or clothingat one end in each hand and turn each hand in the opposite direction, so that the fabric becomes tighter and the water falls out* If you wring out the towel before you hang it, it will dry much more quickly.

miserable8 – very unhappy, uncomfortable, and displeased* After 27 hours in a bus, we were miserable and we wanted to get off, take a shower, and rest.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1.What does Ali mean when he says, “I hate getting caught in the rain”?

a)He hates it when the weathercasters say therewill be rain.

b)He hates being outside when it starts to rain.

c)He hates catching9 balls when it is raining.

2.What is Margo going to do when she rounds up an umbrella?

a)She will make a square umbrella become round.

b)She will take an umbrella around the building.

c)She will look for an umbrella that Ali can use.

______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

soakingThe word “soaking,” in this podcast, means drenchedorvery wet: “You’re soaking! Change into dry clothes quickly, or you might get sick.” As a verb, “to soak” means to make someone or something very wet: “The storm soaked everyone who was at the stadium.”  The verb “to soak” can also mean to put something in a container with water or another liquid so that it becomes totally wet: “This recipe says that we should soak the oats in milk for 20 minutes.” Or, “Janice’s feet hurt at the end of the day, so she soaked them in warm water until she felt better.”  The phrase “to soak something up” means to place a paper or cloth towel over a liquidso that the liquid enters the paper or cloth towel: “When the boy spilled his soda10, his aunt quickly soaked it up with a napkin.”

to round upIn this podcast, the phrase “to round up” means to look for, find, and get something: “The library is trying to round up 1,000 new books this summer.”  The phrase “to round up/down” means to change a number to the next higher/lower number, usually that ends in a zero or five: “The number 73 can be rounded up to 75 or rounded down to 70.”  The phrase “to round (something) off” means to make the sharp edges of something smooth or rounded: “Maggie was always accidentally hitting her hand against the sharp edge of the table, so she decided11 to ask a carpenter to round it off.” The phrase “to make the rounds” means to go to many different places, often at work or a party: “The doctor is making the rounds, checking on his patients.”  Or, “Let’s make the rounds to meet the other guests.”

CULTURE NOTEThe National Weather Service(NWS) is part of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric12 Administration, which is an American governmental “agency” (large department). NWS provides weather“forecasts” (predictions, or statements about what will probably happen in the future) for the United States.  NWS has a large “database” (a large collection of electronic information) about weather and it is available to the “public” (ordinary citizens) and other government agencies.

The NWS website at www.weather.govhas many maps and “up-to-the-minute” (updated, current) information about the weather.  NWS “issues” (announces or provides) “warnings” (statements that make people aware of a danger and prepare them for it) during dangerous weather, like storms and hurricanes.

NWS “gathers” (collects orgets) information about the weather in many different ways.  Some of the information comes from “satellites” (large piece of equipment that go around the planet and send information back to Earth).  Other information comes from land-based “weather stations” (small buildings with many tools for measuring temperature, rainfall, wind, etc.).

NWS has a lot of information about historical weather “patterns” (the ways that things behave over time) for the nation, individual states, and local areas. It can be interesting to read about the highest and lowest temperatures for a particular area, or the “frequency” (how often something happens) of storms.

Finally, NWS has maps of “air quality” (how clean the air is), showing which states and cities have the worst “air pollution” (contamination of the air; air with many dangerous chemicals in it).  It issues warnings when the air quality is too poor, telling people that they should stay at home on those days.

______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 327: Getting Caught in the Rain.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode13 three-two-seven (327). I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you fromthe Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at wwwwww.eslpod.com –actually, there are just three “Ws.” You can download a Learning Guide from our website, it will help you improve your English even faster. You can also take a look at our special courses on business and daily English, which we think you’ll like as well.

This episode is called “Getting Caught in the Rain.” Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Margo: Oh geez, you’re drenched! It wasn’t supposed to rain today.

Ali: I know. I looked at the weather report last night and it was supposed to be a nice day. That’s the last time I trust those weathercasters! I hate getting caught in the rain. I’m soaking wet.

Margo: When I felt a raindrop on my head this morning, I should have known that we were in for a big rainstorm. Right then, I should have gone back into my house to get an umbrella, but as usual, I was running late.

Ali: I can’t believe I have to go out on sales calls today.I’m not looking forward to getting back in my car when it’s raining cats and dogs out there.

Margo: Somebody in this office must have an umbrella you can borrow for the day. I’ll go see. Ali: Thanks. It looks like it’s only drizzling now. Maybe it’s letting up.

Margo: Don’t count on it. It’ll be pouring again in a minute. Let me see if I can round up an umbrella and maybe even a raincoat.

Ali: Thanks. I’ll be in the bathroom wringing14 out my clothes. What a miserable day!

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue between Margo and Ali begins by Margo saying, “Oh geez, you’re drenched!” When you say, “Oh, geez,” you mean “Oh, dear.” It’s an expression usually that something bad has happened. To say someone is “drenched” means that they are very, very wet. You might also say they’re “soaked” (soaked). To be “drenched” or to be “soaked” means to be very wet.

Margo says, “It wasn’t supposed to rain today. Ali says, ”I know. I looked at the weather report last night and it was supposed to be a nice day. The “weather report” is sometimes called the “forecast,” it’s information about what will happen with the weather in the next couple of days. Unfortunately, most forecasts areat least partiallyinaccurate in many places, especially places wherethe weather changes quickly.

Ali is angry; he says, “That’s the last time I trust those weathercasters!” When someone says, “that’s the last time I...(something),” they mean that they’re angry, that they will not listen to those people again. The people here are the weathercasters; a “weathercaster” is a person who tells you what the weather will be like on the television or on the radio. We used to call them the “weatherman,” but now there are both men and women. In some places, the weathercaster on television or on the radio is actually a real meteorologist. A “meteorologist” is someone who has studied at the university about things related to the weather. On some channels, like a couple here in Los Angeles, the weathercaster is just a beautiful woman. I’m not sure which I prefer, you can guess!

Ali says, “I hate getting caught in the rain.” To “get caught in” something means that you are surprised by something; you weren’t expecting something, often a bad thing. “I got caught in a traffic jam” –I wasn’t expecting it, and suddenly there were many cars, and I was moving very slowly.

Ali gets caught in a rainstorm; he says, “I’m soaking wet.” We already said “soaked” means very wet. This is an expression you’ll sometimes hear: “I’m soaking wet,” means I’m very wet; I’m drenched. The word “soaking” has a couple of different meanings; take you look at our Learning Guide for some additional definitions.

Margo says, “When I felt a raindrop on my head this morning, I should have known that we were in for a big rainstorm.” A “raindrop” (one word) is one drop –or piece, if you will –of rain. It’s a small ball of water that falls from the sky. Margo says, “When I felt a raindrop on my head (or when I felt it hitting my head), I should have known (I should have understood and realized) that we were in for (that we will be expecting, or should be expecting) a big rainstorm.” A “rainstorm” is a storm with a lot of rain, when you get a lot of rain for a certain period of time.

Margo says, “Right then(meaning at that moment), I should have gone back into my house to get an umbrella, but as usual, I was running late.” An “umbrella” is what we call the thing that you use so that the rain does not fall on you. It’s usually round and is put above your head. Margo says she was “running late,” meaning she was late for her work; she was “behind schedule,” we also say.

Ali says, “I can’t believe I have to go out on sales calls today,” meaning he has to go and travel to other buildings –other businesses. He’s obviously a salesperson15. He says, “I’m not looking forward to getting back in my car when it’s raining cats and dogs out there.” The expression to “rain cats and dogs” means to rain very heavily –to rain a lot. We might also say to “pour.” Someone will say “It’s pouring out there,” meaning it’s raining very hard. I’m not sure why we say “cats and dogs,” but that’s the expression: “to rain cats and dogs.”

Margo says, “Somebody in this office must have an umbrella you can borrow. I’ll go see” –I’ll investigate. Ali says, “Thanks. It looks like it’s only drizzling now.” To “drizzle” (drizzle) means to rain very lightly or only very slightly. Another verb we use is to “sprinkle,” when it isn’t raining hard; it’s the opposite of “raining cats and dogs,” but it’s still raining. Ali says, “Maybe it’s letting up.” To “let up” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to gradually decrease, to slowly become less and less intense. So, if you say, “the rain is letting up,” you mean that it is getting less and less severe –it’s raining less and less.

Margo says, “Don’t count on it.” The expression to “count on” something means to depend on something or to rely on something; to believe that something is true in this case, to believe that something willhappen. Margo says, “It’ll be pouring again in a minute (it will be raining very hard again in a minute –in a very short time). Let me see if I can round up an umbrella and maybe even a raincoat.” To “round up” is another two-word phrasal verb meaningto find something or to get something. You go look for something, and then you find it. We usually use this expression when you’re not sure where something is; it’s not normally a big thing– “to round up”something. That verb, “to round up,” has a couple of different meanings in English; once again, take a look at the Learning Guide for some additional explanations on that phrasal verb.

Margo says maybe she can even find a raincoat. A “raincoat” is a rain jacket; it’s something you wear over your regular clothing to keep you dry. Ali says, “Thanks. I’ll be in the bathroom wringing out my clothes.” To “wring (wring) out” something, or to “wring something out,” is, once again, a two-word verb –a phrasal verb. It means to take a wet piece of clothing or a towel and turn your hands in opposite directions so that the clothes or the towel becomes tighter and tighter, and as you do this, as you are twisting the piece of clothing, water will come out of it. It’s a way of getting water out of something that is wet, out of a fabric.

At the end Ali says, “What a miserable day!” Something that is “miserable” is very unhappy or very uncomfortable. You can also use that word to mean “displeased,” unhappy about something that someone has done. “It’s raining,and now I’m miserable.” “My wife left me, and now I’m miserable” –or very happy, it depends, really, on who your wife is. In my case, I would be miserable, of course!

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Margo: Oh geez, you’re drenched! It wasn’t supposed to rain today.

Ali: I know. I looked at the weather report last night and it was supposed to be a nice day. That’s the last time I trust those weathercasters! I hate getting caught in the rain. I’m soaking wet.

Margo: When I felt a raindrop on my head this morning, I should have known that we were in for a big rainstorm. Right then, I should have gone back into my house to get an umbrella, but as usual, I was running late.

Ali: I can’t believe I have to go out on sales calls today. I’m not looking forward to getting back in my car when it’s raining cats and dogs out there.

Margo: Somebody in this office must have an umbrella you can borrow for the day. I’ll go see. Ali: Thanks. It looks like it’s only drizzling now. Maybe it’s letting up.

Margo: Don’t count on it. It’ll be pouring again in a minute. Let me see if I can round up an umbrella and maybe even a raincoat.

Ali: Thanks. I’ll be in the bathroom wringing out my clothes. What a miserable day!

[end of dialogue]

The script for this episode was written by Dr. Lucy Tse. Thank you Lucy!

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2007.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 glossary of7xy     
n.注释词表;术语汇编
参考例句:
  • The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
  • For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便,我们在附录中也提供了术语表。
2 drenched cu0zJp     
adj.湿透的;充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 );在某人(某物)上大量使用(某液体)
参考例句:
  • We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨,淋得浑身透湿。
  • The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 fabric 3hezG     
n.织物,织品,布;构造,结构,组织
参考例句:
  • The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
  • I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。
4 drizzle Mrdxn     
v.下毛毛雨;n.毛毛雨,蒙蒙细雨
参考例句:
  • The shower tailed off into a drizzle.阵雨越来越小,最后变成了毛毛雨。
  • Yesterday the radio forecast drizzle,and today it is indeed raining.昨天预报有小雨,今天果然下起来了。
5 drizzling 8f6f5e23378bc3f31c8df87ea9439592     
下蒙蒙细雨,下毛毛雨( drizzle的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • The rain has almost stopped, it's just drizzling now. 雨几乎停了,现在只是在下毛毛雨。
  • It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨,天气又冷又湿,令人难受。
6 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
7 wring 4oOys     
n.扭绞;v.拧,绞出,扭
参考例句:
  • My socks were so wet that I had to wring them.我的袜子很湿,我不得不拧干它们。
  • I'll wring your neck if you don't behave!你要是不规矩,我就拧断你的脖子。
8 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
参考例句:
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
9 catching cwVztY     
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住
参考例句:
  • There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
  • Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。
10 soda cr3ye     
n.苏打水;汽水
参考例句:
  • She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
  • I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。
11 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
12 atmospheric 6eayR     
adj.大气的,空气的;大气层的;大气所引起的
参考例句:
  • Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
  • Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。
13 episode Titzy     
n.(作品的一段)情节,插曲,系列事件中之一
参考例句:
  • The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
  • This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。
14 wringing 70c74d76c2d55027ff25f12f2ab350a9     
淋湿的,湿透的
参考例句:
  • He was wringing wet after working in the field in the hot sun. 烈日下在田里干活使他汗流满面。
  • He is wringing out the water from his swimming trunks. 他正在把游泳裤中的水绞出来。
15 salesperson 7Yoxa     
n.售货员,营业员,店员
参考例句:
  • A salesperson works in a shop.售货员在商店工作。
  • Vanessa is a salesperson in a woman's wear department.凡妮莎是女装部的售货员。
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TAG标签:   ESL英语  生活英语  日常英语
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