2011年ESL之日常生活 17 Outsiders Moving In

17 Outsiders Moving In

GLOSSARY 1

sick and tired – very frustrated 2 and upset about something that continues tohappen or has been happening for a long period of time

* I’m sick and tired of hearing Isaac complain about his job!

to buy up – to purchase all of something, so that nothing remains 3 for sale

* Whenever we’re expecting a big storm, people buy up all the flashlights, bottledwater, and canned food at the local grocery stores.

to act like (one) owns the place – to seem too comfortable or confident in aplace or situation where one does not really belong

* I know she’s the new manager, but I didn’t like the way she walked in on herfirst day and acted like she owned the place.

dying town – a town or city that is not doing well economically or socially, withfew businesses and many empty homes, often because large employers haveclosed and young people have moved to other places

* Ever since the factory closed, Springfield has been a dying town.

fresh blood – new people or participants; people who have not been present orhave not been involved in some activity before

* This company needs some fresh blood with new ideas to increase sales.

infusion 4 – addition; something that is added to something else to make it largeror greater

* Scientific research projects often benefit from the infusion of new technology.

flip 5 side – the opposite of something; a phrase used to present an advantagewhen one has been talking about a disadvantage, or vice 6 versa

* Desman always speaks with a lot of enthusiasm, but the flip side is that hespeaks too quickly.

to jack 7 up prices – to increase the price of something, usually by a largeamount; to raise the amount one charges when selling something

* Gasoline stations are using the rising price of oil as an excuse to jack up prices.

generation – a group of people born around the same period of time, such asgrandparents, parents, children, and grandchildren

* Why does the younger generation think it is more comfortable with mobiletechnology than older generations?

times are changing – a phrase used to show that things change over time,especially traditions, behaviors, attitudes, and values

* In the past, women had to wear skirts or dresses, but times changed and nowwomen can wear shorts in public.

to adapt – to change in response to the changes happening in one’senvironment; to change in ways that allow one to better fit into society

* This department has a very different way of doing things than my olddepartment, but I think I can adapt.

newcomer – a person who has recently moved to an area or joined anorganization

* Levi is a newcomer who has been working here for only a few weeks, but hehas already impressed everyone with his management skills.

us against them – the idea that one belongs to a particular group of peoplefighting against or disagreeing with another group of people

* Managers keep trying to take away our benefits, but I’m a union member andit’s us against them.

mentality 8 – a way of thinking about something; perspective

* My mother always said that a positive, optimistic mentality can help youovercome any problem.

to drive out – to do something that makes other people leave a town or area andnot come back; to do or say something that makes a situation so unpleasant foranother person that he or she must leave

* Those birds make so much noise that they’ve almost driven us out of our home!

to look forward to – to anticipate something with eagerness and excitement; tobe excited about something that is going to happen in the future.

* Thank you for taking the time to read this proposal. I look forward to receivingyour response soon.

beware 9 what you wish for – a phrase used to warn someone that theconsequences of what he or she is hoping for may not be what he or sheexpects, and may actually create problems

* Sure, it might be nice if it were sunny every day, but beware what you wish for!

Without rain, all the plants would die.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does George mean when he says, “This is a dying town and it needsfresh blood”?

a) Everyone in the town is sick and needs blood.

b) The town is experiencing high unemployment.

c) People are moving away, so new people need to come in.

2. Who are the newcomers?

a) Babies who were born in the past year.

b) People who are moving to the town for the first time.

c) The oldest generation.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to adapt

The verb “to adapt,” in this podcast, means to change in response to the changeshappening in one’s environment: “Do you think the water plants in this area willbe able to adapt to rising sea levels and warmer ocean temperatures?” Thephrase “to adapt” can also mean to change something for some purpose: “Howmuch does it cost to adapt a typical home for wheelchair access?” Or, “We needto adapt these exam materials for non-native speakers.” Finally, the phrase “toadapt a (book/novel/play)” means to change something that was written toprepare it for filming as a movie or TV show: “Ramona was thrilled when herliterary agent said a film studio was interested in adapting her book for TV.”

to drive out

In this podcast, the phrase “to drive out” means to do something that makesother people leave a town or area and not come back: “The people of Salem,Massachusetts used to drive out young women whom they thought werewitches.” The phrase “to drive (something) up/down” means to make somethingincrease or decrease: “Unrest in the Middle East is driving up gas prices.” Or,“The large number of houses on the market is driving down home prices.” Thephrase “What are you driving at?” is used to ask someone what he or she reallymeans, or what his or her main point is: “You’ve been talking for 20 minutes, but Istill don’t understand your point. What are you driving at?”

CULTURE NOTE

The Consumer Price Index and the Cost of Living AllowanceThe Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measurement of how the prices of“consumer goods” (things bought by individuals and families, not by businesses)change over time. The U.S. Bureau of Labor 11 Statistics 12 identifies a “marketbasket” (a group of items that are bought and sold) of goods and services anddetermines how much it would cost to buy all of those goods and services eachyear.

The CPI is used to measure “inflation” (the decrease in the purchasing power ofmoney over time). It is also used to indicate changes in the “real value” (howmuch an amount of money in the past is equivalent 13 to today) of prices andincome.

The Cost of Living Allowance 10 (COLA) is similar to the CPI. It addresses howmuch the “cost of living” (the amount of money needed to purchase housing,food, clothing, transportation, etc.) is in different parts of the country. The COLAis used to “adjust” (make changes to) “salaries” (the amount of money oneearned for working), usually once a year.

Many web pages help people compare the cost of living in different parts of thecountry. The cost-of-living “calculators” (formulas) can help people determinehow much money they would need to maintain a “comparable” (similar) lifestylein a different part of the country. For example, one calculator shows that the costof living in Houston, Texas is 40% lower than the cost of living in Los Angeles,California. Therefore, someone living in Los Angeles “on” (with a certain amountof money) $60,000 per year could maintain the same lifestyle on $36,000 inHouston.

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 14

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 715: OutsidersMoving In.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 15 715. I’m your host, Dr.

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

Our website is eslpod.com. Go there to download a Learning Guide for thisepisode, and to help support this podcast by becoming a member.

This episode is called “Outsiders (people who live in other places) Moving In (to anew place; a new neighborhood).” Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Leti: I am sick and tired of people coming from the big cities into our small townand buying up all of the houses and acting 16 like they own the place.

George: This is a dying town and it needs fresh blood. I don’t hear the businessowners complaining about the new infusion of money into the town.

Leti: Oh, yeah? Well, the flip side is that their spending is jacking up prices andmaking it harder for families who have lived here for generations.

George: The times are changing and we need to adapt.

Leti: I say that the newcomers are the ones who need to adapt. After all, they’removing to our town.

George: With that kind of us against them mentality, there may be a day whenyou succeed in driving out those newcomers.

Leti: I look forward to that day.

George: All I have to say is beware what you wish for!

[end of dialogue]

Leti begins by saying to George, “I am sick and tired of people coming from thebig cities into our small town.” The expression “to be sick and tired” doesn’t mean you’re actually ill; you’re not really sick and you may not even be tired. It’san expression we use to show that you are angry, that you are frustrated,especially about something that continues to happen over a long period of time.

“I’m sick and tired of hearing you talk about your dog and how wonderful it is.”

I’m tired of it; I don’t want to hear it anymore, you’ve been talking about it formany days now. Leti is sick and tired of people moving from big cities into herlittle, small town. She says they are “buying up all of the houses and acting likethey own the place.” “To buy up” means the same as “to buy.” The “up” has acertain sense of emphasis, that it’s happening quickly perhaps, or that you arebuying all that remains of something, not leaving anything for anyone else. The“outsiders,” people from outside of the little town, “are buying up all of the housesand acting like they own the place.” “To act like you own a place” means to feeltoo comfortable, or perhaps too confident in a place where you don’t reallybelong. If you visit someone else’s house that you don’t know very well, and youcome into the house and say, “Hey, where’s the refrigerator? I’m hungry,” well,that’s acting like you own the place. It’s also considered rather rude to do such athing. So, “to act like you own the place” would be to do things that you don’treally have a right to do.

Leti is angry at these outsiders, but George has a different opinion. Georgesays, “This is a dying town.” “To die,” of course, means to end one’s life; a “dyingtown” would be a town that is no longer doing very well economically; people areleaving, there aren’t enough jobs, things like that. George says the town “needsfresh blood.” “Fresh blood,” here, means new people, people who have not beenpresent before. He says, “I don’t hear the business owners complaining aboutthe new infusion of money into the town.” The business owners, the people whoown the stores and other businesses, are happy. They’re not complaining aboutthe new infusion of money. An “infusion” (infusion) really in this case just meansaddition, something that is added to it larger or bigger. In this case, the town isgetting richer because new people are coming in and bringing their money andspending their money in the town.

Leti says, “Oh, yeah? Well, the flip side is that their spending is jacking upprices.” The “flip (flip) side” of something is the opposite side of a certainargument or issue. I could say, “Well, it’s a beautiful, sunny day,” and you couldsay, “Well, the flip side is it’s going to be very hot.” So it’s the aspect or the thingthat you’re not thinking about, usually opposite of what the other person is talkingabout. It could be positive; it could be negative. Back in the old days, when Iwas a child, they would sell records, and the records would have a song on eachside, especially the small what were called “45s.” So you may have a verypopular song on one side, and on the flip side another song by the same singer,perhaps a little less popular; we also called it the “B-side.” In any case, “flip side”

here is used generally to mean the other aspect of something that you haven’tconsidered. Leti says the flip side of these new people moving in – theseoutsiders – is that their spending is jacking up prices. “To jack up” is a phrasalverb meaning to increase. It’s normally used with the word “prices.” We talkabout “jacking up prices,” we’re talking about increasing prices, things are gettingmore expensive. When you have more people wanting to buy the same amountof things or the same things as other people the price will usually go up, becausethere are people who are willing to pay more money now. This makes it harder,Leti thinks, for the families who have lived here for generations. A “generation” isusually people who are born around the same time; some people consider 20years a generation. But in any case, the term here means people who have livedhere a long time. My family has lived in the United States for eight generations,which is about right, a little more than that maybe. In any case, a long time iswhat is meant by this expression. Within a family, a generation are the peoplewho are all born as brothers and sisters or cousins. So my parents is onegeneration, and my brothers and sisters were the next generation, and my niecesand nephews – the sons and daughters of my brothers and sisters – are aseparate generation. So when I say that we’ve lived here for eight generations, Imean my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather – actuallygrandmother came to the United States; that was the first McQuillan that arrivedhere, at least from my family. So that’s what a generation is. Anyway, enoughabout my family; let’s get back to the story. Where were we? Oh, yeah.

George says, “The times are changing and we need to adapt.” “The times arechanging” means the world is changing, things are not the same as they werebefore. He says we need to accept that, “we need to adapt.” “To adapt” (adapt)means to change in response to the changes in your situation or in yourenvironment. “Adapt” has a couple of different meanings; take a look at ourLearning Guide for some additional explanations.

Leti says, “I say (meaning my opinion) is that the newcomers are the ones whoneed to adapt.” The “newcomers” (newcomers – one word) are the people whohave just moved into an area; they are new to the area. She says that they arethe ones who need to change, to adapt themselves to the small-town life ratherthan changing it and making those who have lived there for generations adapt.

She says, “After all, they’re moving to our town.”

George says, “With that kind of us against them mentality, there may be a daywhen you succeed in driving out those newcomers.” Let’s start with “us againstthem mentality.” “Us against them” is the idea that you and your group areopposed to another group, that you have opposite interests or perhapscompeting interests; what’s good for them is not good for you, and what’s good for you is not good for them. That’s “us against them” or “us versus 17 them.”

“Mentality” is the way of thinking about something; we might call it your“perspective.” George says that with kind of thinking – that kind of perspective,“there may be a day when you succeed in driving out those newcomers,”

meaning in the future – some day – you may be successful, you may actuallydrive out the newcomers. “To drive out” is a two-word phrasal verb that means todo something to make other people leave, especially a neighborhood or a town,to do things that will make them want to leave. There are other meanings of theverb “to drive,” and “to drive out,” as well as the verb “to adapt” that we talkedabout earlier. All of that information can be found in the Learning Guide for thisepisode.

George says that Leti and her attitude may drive out these newcomers. Letisays, “I look forward to that day.” “To look forward to (something)” is to beexcited about it, to be waiting for it to happen, to want it to happen now. Georgesays, “All I have to say is beware what you wish for!” George is telling Leti thatshe should “beware” or be careful of what she wishes for, or wants to happen.

It’s a phrase we use to warn someone that if he or she gets what he or she wantsthere may be some bad things that they haven’t thought of, things that you maynot expect, so that sometimes we need to be careful about wanting to changethings.

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

[start of dialogue]

Leti: I am sick and tired of people coming from the big cities into our small townand buying up all of the houses and acting like they own the place.

George: This is a dying town and it needs fresh blood. I don’t hear the businessowners complaining about the new infusion of money into the town.

Leti: Oh, yeah? Well, the flip side is that their spending is jacking up prices andmaking it harder for the families who have lived here for generations.

George: The times are changing and we need to adapt.

Leti: I say that the newcomers are the ones who need to adapt. After all, they’removing to our town.

George: With that kind of us against them mentality, there may be a day whenyou succeed in driving out those newcomers.

Leti: I look forward to that day.

George: All I have to say is beware what you wish for!

[end of dialogue]

We hope you look forward to listening to our scripts by our wonderful scriptwriter,Dr. Lucy Tse.

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

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2011 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.