2010年ESL之旅行交通购物 16 Packing Clothes for a Trip（在线收听）

16 Packing Clothes for a Trip

GLOSSARY

to pack – to put things into suitcases, boxes, or bags, especially for traveling

* Don’t forget to pack your toothbrush and underwear.

garment bag – a type of suitcase in the shape of a bag that zips around longdresses or suit jackets and has a small hole in the top for the hanger, so thatclothes can be hung up without being folded

* I don’t mind putting folded sweaters and pants into a suitcase, but I’d ratherhang dresses and suits in a garment bag.

wrinkle – a long, thin line or fold in fabric, especially in clothing that was foldedpoorly or was placed underneath something heavy for a long period of time

* No matter how much time I spend ironing this shirt, I can’t get rid of all thewrinkles.

belt – a long piece of leather or fabric that is put around one’s waist and tied orbuckled in front, used to hold up one’s pants and/or for fashion

* If you wear a brown belt, you’re supposed to wear matching brown shoes.

handbag – purse; a bag held in a woman’s hand or placed over her shoulder,usually used to carry money, identification, makeup, and other things she needsthroughout the day

* Do you keep your cell phone in your handbag, or in your pocket?

accessory – something that one wears to look more beautiful, but not anecessary piece of clothing, such as jewelry, a belt, a scarf, a hat, and more

* This is a casual dress, but with the right accessories, it could become abeautiful dress for evening use, too.

suitcase – luggage; a large bag used for carrying one’s clothing, toiletries, andother belongings while traveling

* If your suitcase weighs more than 50 pounds, the airline will charge an extrafee.

swimsuit – clothing worn while swimming; bathing suit

* When she was younger, she liked to wear bikinis, but now she prefers a onepieceswimsuit.

underwear – clothing worn underneath one’s regular clothing, not meant to beseen by other people; briefs, panties, bras, slips, and more

* Some teenage boys like to wear their pants so low that other people can seetheir underwear.

carry-on – a small bag that one can take onto an airplane, keeping it withoneself and not checking it or having it placed below the plane

* I’m sorry, sir, but that bag is too large to be a carry-on. You’ll need to check itwith your other suitcases.

toiletries – liquids, gels, and pastes that are used to clean oneself and/or makeoneself more beautiful, such as toothpaste, soap, and lotion

* Why do women pack so many more toiletries than men do?

contingency – a dangerous, difficult, or challenging situation that might happenin the future and that one needs to be prepared for

* I know you want to have an outdoor wedding, but don’t you think you shouldhave a contingency plan just in case it rains that day?

equipped – having all the necessary supplies and tools; having everything oneneeds for a particular purpose or situation

* They thought they were fully equipped for the camping trip, but they forgot theirsleeping bags!

clothes horse – a person who likes clothing and fashion very much and ownsmuch more clothing than most other people do

* Aunt Mildred is such a clothes horse! I think she owns at least 60 dresses.

wardrobe – all the clothes, shoes, and accessories owned by one person

* After her college graduation, Tania spent about $2,000 on new clothes so thatshe could have a more professional wardrobe.

to make room – to rearrange and move things so that one has enough space forsomething else

* Do you think we can move the couch over there to make room for a piano in theliving room?

expandable – able to be increased in size; able to be made bigger

* My purse is expandable and can be large enough to fit several books!

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Which of these would you expect to find in a garment bag?

a) Clothes.

b) Handbags.

c) Toiletries.

2. What is a clothes horse?

a) A type of suitcase for carrying clothing.

b) A person whose clothes have a lot of wrinkles.

c) A person who likes to have a lot of clothing.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

wrinkle

The word “wrinkle,” in this podcast, means a long, thin line or fold in fabric,especially in clothing that was folded poorly or was placed underneath somethingheavy for a long period of time: “Your clothes would have fewer wrinkles if youtook them out of the dryer and hung them up right away.” A “wrinkle” is also oneof the thin lines on one’s skin, especially as one gets older: “People who spendtoo much time in the sun will get a lot of wrinkles when they’re older.” Thephrase “to iron out the wrinkles” means to solve small, unimportant problems tomake something perfect or to make something work well: “The engineers needanother few weeks to iron out the wrinkles in the software program, but then weshould be able to begin selling it.”

belt

In this podcast, the word “belt” means a long piece of leather or fabric that is putaround one’s waist and tied or buckled in front, used to hold up one’s pantsand/or for fashion: “These pants are too big for me, but if I wear them with a belt,they don’t fall down.” The phrase “below the belt” means unfairly or against therules: “Hey, that comment was below the belt. I thought we agreed never tomention that again.” The phrase “to tighten (one’s) belt” means to cut expenses,or to spend less than one used to: “The whole family has had to tighten its beltever since Leandro lost his job.” Finally, the word “belt” can refer to a large areaof land where certain characteristics are shared: “Khalid grew up in theagricultural belt, so he knows a lot about farming.”

CULTURE NOTE

Many travelers worry about what will happen if the airlines “lose their luggage”

(misplace bags, so that suitcases don’t arrive when and where the traveler does).

In the past, these people tried to pack less and “squeeze” (fit into a small space)all their things into a carry-on bag. However, this has become more difficult inthe “post-9/11” (after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001) environment,because there are greater restrictions on the types of things people can bring in acarry-on, and particularly on liquids. In addition, many airlines are “reducing”

(decreasing; making smaller) the “baggage weight limits” (the maximum amountone’s suitcase can weigh) and even charging additional “fees” (money paid for aparticular purpose) for each bag that is checked.

“Frustrated” (annoyed and upset) with these changes, airline travelers arelooking for other “options” (choices) to send their luggage to their “destination”

(where one wants to go). In recent years, several companies have begunoffering “luggage forwarding services.” Customers can pay these companies tosend their luggage to their destination for them. “Theoretically” (in theory, butmaybe not in reality), when they get off the airplane, their luggage will be waitingfor them. They won’t have to pay any of the airline’s fees, worry about lostbaggage, or stay within the airline’s baggage weight limits.

Some of these luggage forward services are “significantly” (much) moreexpensive than simply using an airline’s baggage-check services. However,some travelers are willing to pay extra for the “convenience” (how easy or difficultit is to do something) and “ease of mind” (not needing to worry about something)of not checking their bags.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – c

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 619: PackingClothes for a Trip.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 619. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

You can support this podcast by making a donation on our website or, evenbetter, becoming an ESL Podcast member. As a member, you will get theLearning Guides for the current episodes. These guides are 8- to 10-page PDFfiles that contain the complete transcript of everything we say plus a lot more.

Go to our website at eslpod.com for more information.

This episode is called “Packing Clothes for a Trip.” It’s a dialogue between Nickand Mariah using vocabulary you would associate with travel and clothing. Let’sget started.

[start of dialogue]

Nick: Aren’t you done packing yet? We need to leave for the airport in 15minutes.

Mariah: I’m almost done. I just need to finish packing my garment bag.

Nick: You’re bringing a garment bag? What for?

Mariah: For my dresses, of course. I don’t want them to get wrinkles in them. Ihave a bag for shoes, belts, handbags, and other accessories; two suitcases forclothes, swimsuits, underwear, and socks; and a carry-on for my makeup andtoiletries.

Nick: What do you need all that for?!

Mariah: I’m preparing for all contingencies. You never know what situation you’llbe in when you travel, and I want to be equipped with anything I’ll need.

Nick: I should have expected this when I married a clothes horse. I’m surprisedyou didn’t bring your entire wardrobe.

Mariah: I was thinking about it. I’m sure I can make room. All of my bags areexpandable.

[end of dialogue]

Nick asks Mariah, “Aren’t you done packing yet?” “Aren’t you done” meaningaren’t you finished packing yet. “To pack” (pack) means to put things in a box ora bag or a suitcase – which you could also call luggage – especially for traveling.

So if you are going on a trip, you need to put clothing and other things in somesort of bag or suitcase so that you can carry it. Nick says, “We need to leave forthe airport in 15 minutes (we need to go to the airport in 15 minutes).”

Mariah says, “I’m almost done (I’m almost finished). I just need to finish packingmy garment bag.” A “garment” (garment) is, in the general sense, a piece ofclothing, something you wear. Here, “garment bag” is a special kind of suitcasethat is used for dresses or formal jackets that a man or a woman might wear.

The top of the garment bag has a “hangar,” which is that y-shaped thing you putyour clothes on when you put them in a closet for example. So, a garment bag isused for transporting your clothes so they don’t get all wrinkled in the suitcase.

We’re going to talk about “wrinkled” in a moment.

Nick says, “You’re bringing a garment bag? What for?” meaning why. Mariahexplains, “For my dresses, of course. I don’t want them to get wrinkles (wrinkles)in them.” A “wrinkle” as a noun, or the verb “to wrinkle,” means in this case tohave these lines – thin lines in the material of the clothing when it isn’t put intothe suitcase properly. When, for example, you would take a shirt and instead offolding it, that is instead of making it smaller and flat in a neat way, you wouldtake it and just roll it up in a ball and throw it in your suitcase. Well, that’s goingto result in wrinkles. So, it’s when your clothing isn’t straight or flat. “Wrinkle”

has a couple of different meanings, and those can be found in the LearningGuide.

Mariah is taking a garment bag so her dresses don’t get wrinkles in them. Shesays, “I have a bag for shoes (what she wears on her feet), belts,” a long piece ofleather or fabric that you put around your waist, usually to hold up your pants. Soa man would have a belt; I wear a belt with my pants so they don’t fall down –that would be embarrassing! “Belt” has a couple of different meanings, andthose, once again, are in the Learning Guide. So, Mariah has a bag for shoes,belts, handbags, and other accessories. A “handbag” (handbag – one word) isalso called a “purse.” It’s a bag that a woman has in her hand or over hershoulder that she puts her money and her wallet and her makeup and all sorts of mysterious things that men never understand. That’s called a handbag.

“Accessories” are anything you wear in addition to your basic clothing (a shirt,pants, a dress), anything extra that makes you, perhaps, look more beautiful.

Never makes me look more beautiful! It’s not necessarily a piece of clothing. Itcould be the belt, it could be a hat, it could be a piece of jewelry. All of these arepossible accessories.

Mariah says she’s also bringing two suitcases for clothes, swimsuits, underwear,and socks. A “suitcase” is the same as luggage. We talked about a suitcase inthe first sentence of the dialogue. “Swimsuits” are clothing that you wear whileyou go swimming. For a man, it’s usually just a pair of shorts. For a woman itcould be either a one-piece or a two-piece swimsuit; the two-piece is usuallycalled a bikini. There’s a part on the top and then there’s a part around thebottom. A one-piece swimsuit is just one piece of material that is not broken orseparated in the middle. So you can’t see the woman’s stomach in a one-pieceswimsuit, and in a two-piece swimsuit you can – even if you don’t want to!

Underwear is also something Mariah is bringing. “Underwear” is what you wearunderneath your shorts or pants or dress that covers the bottom middle. Itcovers all of those things that you should keep covered in public! “Underwear”

actually has a broader meaning; it’s not just what you would put on underneathyour shorts or dress. It could also refer to things that you would put on yourbreasts if you are a woman – bras, that is. It also includes just about any kind ofclothing you put on underneath another piece of clothing. So a T-shirt, a plainwhite shirt that you might put on underneath a more formal shirt, that would alsobe considered underwear.

Finally, Mariah says that she has a carry-on (carry-on) for her makeup andtoiletries. A “carry-on” is a small piece of luggage – a small bag or suitcase –that you can take onto the plane with you. That is, you don’t have to put itunderneath the plane. When you put luggage underneath the plane, we say thatyou have “checked” your luggage. A carry-on is a bag or a suitcase that you takewith you to your seat, putting it either above you or in front of you underneath theseat in front of you. “Makeup” is what typically women put on their faces to makethem more beautiful. “Toiletries” (toiletries) refers to things that you would use toclean yourself – soap. It might also include toothpaste. It might include creamsand lotions, other liquid things, typically, that you put on your face or body forcleansing or to make them look better.

Nick says, “What do you need all that for (why do you need all of those things)?!”

Mariah says, “I’m preparing for all contingencies.” A “contingency” (contingency) is a dangerous, difficult situation that might happen in the future, something youneed to be prepared for. Here in Southern California we have to be prepared forthe contingency of an earthquake, it could happen in the future. Mariah ispreparing for all contingencies, all the things that could go wrong. She says,“You never know what situation you’ll be in when you travel, and I want to beequipped with anything I’ll need.” “To be equipped” (equipped) means to have allthe necessary things, supplies and tools, for example, that you need for aparticular situation. We might even say you are “well equipped.” Sometimes weuse that expression in talking about the capabilities, intellectual for example, ofsomeone. It might even refer to training or education they have received. Wehope the lawyer is well equipped to defend a man accused of, or said to havecommitted, a murder.

Nick says, “I should have expected this when I married a clothes horse.” A“clothes horse,” like the animal, (two words) is a person who likes clothing andhas too much clothing. It’s definitely usually a negative way of describingsomeone. Nick says, “I’m surprised you didn’t bring your entire wardrobe.” Inthis case, “wardrobe” (wardrobe) refers to all of your clothes, all of shoes, all ofyour accessories. Everything related to clothing that you own, that is yourwardrobe. Someone might say, “When I get a new job I’m going to have to buy awhole new wardrobe,” meaning all of my clothes need to be different.

Mariah says, “I was thinking about it (I was thinking about bringing my entirewardrobe she means). I’m sure I can make room.” “To make room” is a twowordphrasal verb meaning to arrange, to put things in a certain area so that youhave enough space for something else. You could also make room for a person,for example, in a crowded elevator. Mariah says that all of her bags areexpandable. “Expandable” means you are able to increase something in size. Itcomes from the verb “to expand,” which means to make bigger.

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

[start of dialogue]

Nick: Aren’t you done packing yet? We need to leave for the airport in 15minutes.

Mariah: I’m almost done. I just need to finish packing my garment bag.

Nick: You’re bringing a garment bag? What for?

Mariah: For my dresses, of course. I don’t want them to get wrinkles in them. Ihave a bag for shoes, belts, handbags, and other accessories; two suitcases forclothes, swimsuits, underwear, and socks; and a carry-on for my makeup andtoiletries.

Nick: What do you need all that for?!

Mariah: I’m preparing for all contingencies. You never know what situation you’llbe in when you travel, and I want to be equipped with anything I’ll need.

Nick: I should have expected this when I married a clothes horse. I’m surprisedyou didn’t bring your entire wardrobe.

Mariah: I was thinking about it. I’m sure I can make room. All of my bags areexpandable.

[end of dialogue]

Someone who is well equipped to write dialogues is our own scriptwriter, Dr.

Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2010 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.