Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Star Trek. Big ideas and small businesses. What makes us happy? Crazy English. People from all around the world have written to us about these Spotlight programs in the last month. Today we answer some of your emails and read some of your comments about these programs.
Voice 2
We begin today with a comment from areej. He left a comment on our website on the program "What Makes Us Happy?" Many people believe that what makes us happy is getting what we want. But that is not always true. Even people who have everything can be unhappy. In our program we looked at some things that really do make people happy. Areej had one idea about what makes people happy too.
Voice 3
"I would say that worshipping God by praising and prayers also makes us feel happy."
Voice 1
Areej, we are happy that you have shared your opinions with us! For many people, worshipping God is really important. It is a great calm and comfort. We can understand and know that God is always there for us. Thanks for sharing your opinions!
Voice 2
Another Spotlight program where things were not what they seemed was called "Big Ideas and Small Businesses." Many people believe that the most successful businesses are the businesses that produce or sell the most. But one world business competition sees things differently. Our program told about this competition. It awards prizes for businesses that help their local communities. Patricia shared her ideas about this program.
Voice 4
"I completely agree with this idea about business. It's better to have a small or medium business with all your customers happy than a big business without quality. It's a greater business that practices social responsibility than a big one who gains money only for themselves."
Voice 1
Thanks for your comments Patricia. We hope you are able to listen to the next program about the World Challenge competition too. We will release this program in autumn. And we will tell about a few of 2009's finalists.
Voice 2
Our next comment comes from foga12. Foga12 heard our program about the television program called Star Trek. This program showed people what life might be like in the future. In our program, we told about how Star Trek has encouraged many people. But it has also influenced popular culture. Foga12 writes:
Voice 3
"One month ago I heard the phrase ‘Beam me up Scotty.' This is the TV program Star Trek. Now, I know about it. Thanks."
Voice 1
We are happy we could help! You are right that this saying comes from Star Trek. In fact, it is very popular! Scotty was one of the characters on Star Trek. He operated the transporter. This device could transport a person from one place to another place very far away very quickly. When Captain Kirk wanted to get out of a terrible situation quickly, he would call on Scotty to "beam him up!"
Voice 2
It seems that many common sayings come from popular entertainment. A saying may become popular if it makes people laugh or think. It may become popular if the program uses it a lot! Star Trek is the origin for a few common English sayings. In fact, we will look at a few of these common sayings in today's Hodgepodge!
Voice 1
Have you ever heard the saying "to boldly go where no one has gone before"? To go "boldly" means to go with courage. This saying is in the beginning of two Star Trek versions. And we included this line in our program about Star Trek. In Star Trek, this saying means that the Starship Enterprise will explore space with courage - even if they may not know what they will find there.
Voice 2
"To boldly go where no one has gone before" is a very well-known saying in English. People may say it when they are entering a situation or issue they have not experienced before.
Voice 1
Our last Star Trek saying in today's Hodgepodge is a kind of blessing. It is: "Live long, and prosper." A person who is prospering is experiencing success. This blessing comes from one alien race on Star Trek - the Vulcans. But many people think it is a beautiful blessing that anyone can use. In fact, we have told about this saying before, in an earlier listener mail program! We will provide a link to that program on the script page for this program. There, you can find more information about this interesting saying!
Voice 2
Are there sayings from popular culture in your language? You can share them with us by emailing us at Radio @ English . net. Or you can leave a comment on the script page of this program! That's all for today's Hodgepodge!
Voice 1
Our last comments today are about something many of our listeners will be very interested in - learning English. In fact, they are about crazy English! In our program "Crazy English" we told about an English teacher in China - Li Yang. Li Yang has an interesting way of learning English. And he is using his method to teach other Chinese people.
Voice 2
People learning English with Li Yang's method gather in a large group. The leader says a word or phrase. Then everyone repeats the words by shouting! The main purpose of this method is to feel comfortable saying words in a different language. Christian, from Ecuador writes:
Voice 4
"I think that Li Yang's Crazy English is wonderful because he used a better method to speak English in a better way... I need to speak more because I cannot speak very well."
Voice 2
Christian says that he would like to speak like Li Yang and possibly to use his method to learn.
Voice 1
Well, Christian, you may want to join chanmonchannon - a person who commented on the script page for Crazy English. Chanmonchannon writes:
Voice 3
"It's a very great topic for me because I am always thinking how to speak, how to read, and how to write like a native English speaker. I will be trying this method for several months. After that, I will inform you how this method worked for me."
Voice 2
Chanmonchannon, we are very excited to hear your results! Many people in China have had success learning English with this method. We hope you will find it a helpful method too! Please keep us informed!
Voice 1
Listeners, if you would like to make your voice heard you can leave comments and questions on our website. Commenting is easy! But you must create a Spotlight account. Then, when you log in, you can have your say about any of the programs Spotlight offers. We hope you visit us soon!
|