2011年ESL之旅行交通购物 01 Reading Product Reviews_在线英语听力室

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01 Reading Product Reviews

GLOSSARY¹

on the fritz – not working very well; undependable and likely to break soon

* Their computer is on the fritz, so they have to save their files every few minutes.

highly-rated – determined² to be of good quality compared to similar products

* According to the travel guide, this is one of the most highly-rated restaurants intown.

model – one design of a machine or other product, possibly one of many offeredby a particular company

* Which Toyota model to you prefer: the Corolla or the Camry?

on sale – offered for purchase at a discounted, lower price for a limited period oftime

* Warm winter jackets are usually on sale in February and March, when storeswant to start displaying clothing for spring and summer.

to read up on (something) – to read a lot of information to learn aboutsomething before seeing or experiencing it

* Bryce has spent the past few weeks reading up on the country so he’ll knowwhat to expect when he gets there.

review – a written opinion about the quality of a product or service, shared withother people so that they can decide which product or service they want topurchase for themselves

* Have you read any reviews of the new horror movie?

a waste of time – something that is not a good use of one’s time; something thatone should not spend time doing because it doesn’t result in any benefits oradvantages

* Making your bed each morning is a waste of time. You’re just going to sleep init again in the evening, right?

to go with (one’s) gut³ – to do what one feels or believes is right, without doingany research or asking for other people’s opinions

* When I don’t know the answer to a multiple-choice test question, I just go withmy gut and pick one.

value – the relationship between the usefulness or quality of something and theamount one has to pay for it

* CFC light bulbs are more expensive than incandescent⁴ light bulbs, but they area better value because they last longer.

reliable – something that can be trusted; something that one knows will work asexpected each time it is needed

* This car may be ugly, but it’s reliable and always takes me wherever I need togo.

durable⁵ – strong and not easy to break; remaining in good, like-new condition

* This vase looks fragile, but it’s actually very durable. It didn’t break even whenwe dropped it onto the sidewalk.

customer support – services offered by a company to its customers when theyhave problems with a product or service, or with the amount of money they havebeen charged

* If you’re not happy with your purchase, send a complaint message to customersupport and see if they’ll refund⁶ your money.

defective⁷ – not working properly; with a problem or flaw; not manufacturedcorrectly

* We had to take the defective CD player back to the store for a refund.

poorly designed – with a bad design; with a problem in the way the pieces ofsomething are put together, or the way they work together

* This stroller is poorly designed, because it’s too difficult to get a baby in and outof it.

overall – considering all the factors or parts of something; comprehensively

* The teacher found a few errors in my essay, but he said that overall it was verywell written.

all the better – even better; something that is an improvement or makes asituation more pleasant, beneficial, or advantageous⁸

* They’re already offering to sell us the boat at a great price, but if they’ll deliver itto our house for free, all the better.

enough said – an informal phrase used when something is very obvious and noother information needs to be added, often used humorously

* - Will it be a big party?

* - We’ve sent out more than 700 invitations. Enough said.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Why did Andrea buy a new TV?

a) Because the old one was stolen.

b) Because the old one wasn’t working well.

c) Because the old one belonged to her roommate.

2. What does Andrea mean when she says, “I go with my gut”?

a) She leaves when she gets hungry.

b) She does whatever she feels is right.

c) She feels very brave.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to read up on (something)

The phrase “to read up on (something),” in this podcast, means to read a lot ofinformation to learn about something before seeing it or experiencing it: “Don’tyou think you should read up on plumbing⁹ before you try to replace your kitchensink?” The phrase “to read into (something)” means to interpret something as if ithad more meaning than it actually does: “I was only trying to be friendly when Iasked her to join me for dinner. I hope she doesn’t read into it and think I wasasking her out on a date.” Finally, the phrase “to read something (over)” meansto review a document, especially to look for errors: “Would you mind reading overthis report before I give it to my boss?”

value

In this podcast, the word “value” means the relationship between the usefulnessor quality of something and the amount one has to pay for it: “An all-you-can-eatbuffet offers great value if you’re really hungry.” The word “value” can also meanhow much money something is worth: “Home values have fallen in recent years.”

“Market value” is how much something can be sold for: “What’s the market valueof that painting?” The word “values” also refers to what people think is mostimportant: “Most people share the values of honesty, kindness, and generosity¹⁰.”

Finally, the phrase “shock value” refers to something’s ability to surprisesomeone: “Some driver-education courses use photographs of car accidentsbecause their shock value can make new drivers realize how important it is todrive safely.”

CULTURE NOTE

When Americans buy and sell cars, they often “refer to” (look for information in)the “Kelley Blue Book” to “set” (establish; create) the selling price. The KelleyBlue Book is a company, book, and website that lists many different “makes”

(companies; manufacturers) and models of cars, as well as their “suggested”

(recommended) sales price.

The price of each car depends not only on its make and model, but also on itsage, “condition” (quality), “features” (special characteristics), and “odometerreading” (how many miles a car has been driven), as well as whether it has beenin an accident and how well it has been “maintained” (received recommendedservices like oil changes).

Actually, the Kelley Blue Book lists three sales prices. The first is the “retailvalue,” or the amount one should expect to pay for the car at an auto¹¹ “dealership¹²”

(a business that sells cars to consumers). The second is the “trade-in value,” orthe amount of money one should expect to receive for a car when giving it to adealership as part of the payment for a different, more expensive car. The thirdis the “private-party value,” or the amount one should expect to pay when buyingthe car from an individual.

The Kelley Blue Book is helpful, because it is difficult to know the value of anolder car, especially one sold by its owner and not by a dealership. A printed“resource” (something that helps one do something) that most people agree oncan make the process of “negotiation” (reaching agreement, especially on theprice of something) between the buyer and seller much faster and easier.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – b

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT¹³

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 653: ReadingProduct Reviews.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 653. I’m your host, Dr.

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

Our website is eslpod.com. Download a Learning Guide for this episode fromour website, where you can get all the extra vocabulary, definitions, samplesentences, cultural notes, and a complete transcript of this episode.

Our dialogue today is between Dominic and Andrea. It’s going to be about whenyou are looking to buy something and you decide to see what other people thinkof that product, what we would call a “product review.” Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Dominic: Do you want some help with that box?

Andrea: Sure, thanks.

Dominic: What is it?

Andrea: It’s a new TV. My old one has been on the fritz for a week and I neededa new one.

Dominic: Is this a highly-rated model?

Andrea: Highly-rated? I just went to the electronics store and bought it. It wason sale.

Dominic: You mean you didn’t read up on it before you bought it? You didn’tlook at the reviews?

Andrea: No, I never do that. I think that’s a waste of time. I go with my gut.

Dominic: But if you read the reviews, you’ll know which product gives you thebest value, which is the most reliable and durable, and which company has goodcustomer support. Nobody wants to buy something that’s defective or poorlydesigned. Don’t you care about those things?

Andrea: Maybe, but who has time to do that? Instead, I go to the store and seewhich one I like overall. If it’s on sale, that’s all the better. That’s worked for meso far.

Dominic: Is that how you bought your old TV?

Andrea: Yeah.

Dominic: Enough said.

[end of dialogue]

Dominic asks Andrea, “Do you want some help with that box?” Andrea says,“Sure, thanks.” Dominic asks, “What is it?” Andrea says, “It’s a new TV (a newtelevision). My old one has been on the fritz for a week and I needed a newone.” The expression “to be on the fritz” (fritz) is an informal one meaning it isn’tworking very well; it is unreliable; undependable; sometimes it works, sometimesit doesn’t.

Dominic says, “Is this (meaning this TV) a highly-rated model?” Something thatis “highly-rated” (rated) is something that people have a good opinion of,something that is made well. A “model,” in this case, is one particular design of amachine or a product by some company. For example, Toyota (car company)has different models: the Corolla, the Camry, and so forth¹⁴. They have differentkinds of cars – different looks to their cars. That’s all part of the particular orspecific model. Dominic asks if this TV is a highly-rated model. Andrea says,“Highly-rated? I just went to the electronics store,” places where you would buy aTV or a radio, possibly a computer – these are all electronics. She says, “I justwent to the electronics store and bought it. It was on sale.” Something that is“on sale” usually means that it has a lower price than normal; it is discounted,you can buy it for less.

Dominic says, “You mean you didn’t read up on it before you bought it?” “Toread up on (something)” – notice the two prepositions: “up” and “on” – means toread a lot of information about something, to learn a lot about something. “I needto read up on American history for my history test tomorrow.” Or, “I need to readup on investing money, because I’m getting old and I don’t want to be poor whenI’m old.” The verb “to read” has lots of different phrasal verbs associated with it;take a look at our Learning Guide for some examples of those. Dominic says,“You mean (that is, do you mean) you didn’t read up on it before you bought it?

You didn’t look at the reviews?” A “review” is someone’s, usually printed but it could be spoken, opinion about a particular product; what they think is good,what they think is bad about it. You can find these in magazines andnewspapers; you can find them very easily on the Internet. Apparently¹⁵, Andreadid not read the reviews; in fact, she says, “No, I never do that (I never read thereviews). I think that’s a waste of time.” Something that is a “waste (waste) oftime” is something that is not worth spending time on, something that youshouldn’t spend a lot of time on because it isn’t going to give you very much.

Andrea says, “I go with my gut (gut).” This expression, “to go with your gut,”

means to do what you feel is right without doing any research or asking otherpeople’s opinions, or at least not listening to them if you do. Your “gut” is aninformal way of describing the stomach, the middle part of your body. The idea isthat you’re not necessarily using your brain – your intellect, you’re using yourfeelings and emotions to make a decision.

Dominic tells her, “But if you read the reviews, you’ll know which product givesyou the best value.” “Value” means the relationship between how muchsomething costs and how good it is. If you buy a really good car at a low price,we would say that you are getting good value. Dominic says that the reviews willtell you which product gives you the best value, which is the most reliable anddurable, and which company has good customer support. Something that is“reliable” (reliable) is something you can trust, something that is dependable.

“Durable” (durable) is something that is strong, something that will not breakeasily. The opposite of “durable” is “fragile” (fragile). Here, Dominic is reallyusing the word to mean that it will last a long time, that you can use it for manyyears and it will still be good.

Dominic also mentions finding a company that has good “customer support,” wemight also say “customer service.” That is, a company where if you have aproblem you can call them or email them and they will help you with the problem.

Or, if there’s a serious problem they will give you a refund or allow you to getsomething else. That’s good customer support. Dominic says, “Nobody wants tobuy something that’s defective or poorly designed.” Something that is “defective”

is not working properly, something that has a serious problem or a flaw, probablybecause it was made wrong. The company that made it did something wrong –it’s defective. When we say something is “poorly designed,” we mean that it is abad design. There’s a problem in the way that the pieces go together; there’s aproblem in the way that the company decided¹⁶ to make it, maybe the shape iswrong, or the pieces don’t fit together very well. That would be something that ispoorly designed. A umbrella that had holes in it would be poorly designed. Thepurpose of an umbrella is to keep the rain from falling on you. If the umbrella hadholes in it, that would be obviously a very poor design.

Dominic says, “Don’t you care about those things?” Andrea says, “Maybe, butwho has time to do that (to do all that research)? Instead, I go to the store andsee which one I like overall.” “Overall” (overall) means considering everythingtogether, comprehensively, when we consider all the different parts of something.

Andrea says, “If it’s on sale (if the television, in this case, is on sale), that’s all thebetter.” The expression “all the better” means even better, something that is animprovement in the situation, that makes it more pleasant or cheaper or morebeneficial. “That’s worked for me so far,” Andrea says, meaning that is how I’vealways done things and I have been successful.

Dominic says, “Is that how you bought your old TV (the one that doesn’t workanymore)?” Andrea says, “Yeah.” Dominic says, “Enough said.” “Enough said”

is an informal phrase that we use when something is so obvious that you don’tneed to add any additional information. What Dominic is saying here is thatbecause Andrea doesn’t read the product reviews she buys things like her oldtelevision that don’t work, and this is going to the perhaps a problem with hernew television. He doesn’t need to detail this argument; he doesn’t need toexplain this anymore, it should be obvious to Andrea what the problem is with herthinking – with her logic¹⁷. That’s why he just says, “Enough said.”

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