2011年ESL之旅行交通购物 12 A Difficult Place to Find

12 A Difficult Place to Find

GLOSSARY 1

to make one more pass – to try to do something one more time, especiallywhen trying to find something while driving

* Okay, we’ll make one more pass to try and find the ice cream shop, but this isthe last time!

to head back – to begin to go back in the direction from which one came; to turnaround so that one can go back to where one started

* The kids were screaming so much in the backseat of the car that the parentsdecided to head back home.

desk clerk – receptionist; a person whose job is to answer the phones and greetpeople who come into an office or business

* The desk clerk has to sign a form whenever the mail carrier delivers packages.

hidden away – not easily seen because something is partially 2 or entirely 3 behindsomething else, not where one would expect to see it

* When traveling as a tourist, it’s a good idea to keep your money and passporthidden away.

to keep an eye out – to look for something; to be aware of one’s surroundings

* Keep an eye out for holes on the dirt road, or you might trip and fall.

blink and you’ll miss it – a phrase used to tell someone that the thing he or sheis looking for is very small and/or very hard to find, so he or she must be activelylooking around for it

* They used to joke that the town they grew up in was so small, they had to tellpeople, “Blink and you’ll miss it.”

stretch – a particular section of a road between two points

* This stretch of highway has a lot of dangerous curves.

off the beaten path – sites that are not well-known and are rarely visited bytourists

* When Jimmy travels, he likes to eat at restaurants that are off the beaten path,and not described in tourist guidebooks.

prominent – seen easily, often because something is very large or very differentfrom the things around it

* When you drive to the city, the first thing you’ll see is a prominent sign thatsays, “Welcome to Bainbridge!”

landmark 5 – an important building, statue, or natural object that helps one identifywhere one is

* The Statue of Liberty is probably the best-known landmark in New York City.

charm – the characteristics that make something likeable, especially in a sweetor old-fashioned way

* Part of her charm is the way she blushes whenever anyone compliments her.

hideaway – a place where one can go to be far away from other people and beleft alone, without interruption

* Many writers do their best work in secret hideaways.

neon sign – a sign with words and images shown in bright lights created byputting gas in glass tubes

* The neon sign said, “open,” but the doors of the restaurant were locked.

tucked away – far away from other people, buildings, or things, in a quiet place

* They own a cabin that’s tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains.

to keep (one’s) eyes peeled – to actively 4 look for something when one knows itwill be difficult to find

* In New York City, drivers always have to keep their eyes peeled for a parkingspace.

to spot – to find something that one has been looking for; to catch a glimpse ofsomething; to see

* Vince has great vision and was able to spot the airplane before anyone elsecould see it.

geez – a word used to show one’s surprise, relief, or bewilderment

* Geez that was a hard test!

to find a needle in a haystack – to find something that is very difficult to find,usually because it is very small or because it is one of many similar objects

* Getting a good job in this economy is like finding a needle in a haystack.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. According to Marsha, what is special about this hotel?

a) It’s very old and beautiful.

b) It’s not very well-known.

c) It’s less expensive.

2. What does Ricardo mean when says, “Keep your eyes peeled”?

a) He wants Marsha to try to stay awake.

b) He wants Marsha to stop crying.

c) He wants Marsha to help him look for the hotel.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to make a pass

The phrase “to make one more pass,” in this podcast, means to try to dosomething one more time, especially when trying to find something while driving:

“The flight instructor 6 agreed to let her student make one more pass at landing theplane before taking control of it herself.” The phrase “to make a pass at(someone)” means to try to start a romantic or sexual relationship with someone,perhaps by saying something, making a facial expression, or touching 7 the otherperson: “Don’t you see that man winking 8 at you? I’m sure he’s trying to make apass at you.” Finally, the phrase “to come to a pretty pass” is not very common,but means for a situation to have become very difficult or bad: “Things wouldhave to come to a pretty pass before I’d steal food from a store.”

stretch

In this podcast, the word “stretch” means a particular section of a road betweentwo points: “The children believe that this stretch of road is haunted and ghostslive here.” A “stretch” can also refer to a period of time without interruption: “Herteenage son can sleep for 14-hour stretches!” The phrase “by any stretch (of theimagination)” is used to emphasize the truth of something negative that one hasjust said: “Those fashion models aren’t overweight by any stretch of theimagination.” The phrases “the final stretch” and “the home stretch” refer to thelast part of a project or activity: “We’re in the home stretch now. All we have todo is write the conclusion and then we’ll be done with this report.”

CULTURE NOTE

Hearst CastleHearst Castle is a “mansion 9” (a large home for very rich people) on the California“coast” (land next to the ocean). Its construction began in 1919 and lastedalmost 30 years. It was built for William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper“magnate” (leading businessman) but after his death it was donated to the Stateof California, which “maintains it” (keeps it in good condition) as a state historicpark.

The mansion has 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 “sitting rooms” (living rooms),“extensive” (very large, covering a large area) gardens, tennis courts, swimmingpools, a movie theater, and the largest “private” (owned by an individual orfamily, not by a government) zoo in the world. The buildings cover more than90,000 square feet (8,300 square meters) and have a lot of European“ornamentation” (decoration).

During the 1920s and 1930s, many politicians and the “Hollywood elite” (famouspeople involved in the American entertainment industry) “coveted” (stronglywanted to have) invitations to Hearst Castle. Visitors included actor CharlieChaplin, “aviator” (pilot) Charles Lindbergh, and U.S. President Franklin D.

Roosevelt, among others.

Today, the Hearst family is still allowed to use the property, but they “primarily”

(mostly) use just one home. Visitors can go on many different tours of the rest ofthe castle “grounds” (the buildings and the land surrounding them), paying 12 to30 dollars per ticket. Tourists go there to admire the “skill” (technical expertiseand ability) involved in designing and constructing the buildings, as well as the“fabulous” (very impressive) art collections found in and around the castlebuildings.

______________

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 10

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 711: A DifficultPlace to Find.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 711. 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. Download this episode’s Learning Guide, an 8- to10-page guide to our episode, to improve your English even faster.

This episode is a dialogue between Ricardo and Marsha about a place that isdifficult to find. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Ricardo: I’m making one more pass and if we don’t see a sign for the hotel, I’mheading back into town. I’m tired and I want a shower.

Marsha: I’m sure we’ll find it. When I talked to the desk clerk, she said that thehotel is hidden away behind some trees and to keep an eye out for their whitesign.

Ricardo: Did she say blink and you’ll miss it? Because we’ve driven past thisstretch three times and I don’t see a sign.

Marsha: She just said that they’re a little off the beaten path.

Ricardo: If they know that their hotel is so hard to find, why don’t they make itmore prominent with some kind of landmark?

Marsha: That’s part of the charm of a small hotel hideaway. It doesn’t haveneon signs and it’s tucked away far from the tourist areas.

Ricardo: That’s all good and fine, but we have to find it first. Okay, this is thelast pass. Keep your eyes peeled.

Marsha: There it is! I’ve spotted 11 the sign. It’s over there, see?

Ricardo: Yeah, now I see it. Geez, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack!

[end of dialogue]

Ricardo begins by saying, “I’m making one more pass.” “To make one morepass” means to try to do something one more time, especially in this case whereRicardo is driving and he’s trying to find a specific place and perhaps he’s drivendown this road once or more than once, he’s going to try it one more time. Hesays, “if we don’t see a sign for the hotel, I’m heading back into town.” “To headback” is a phrasal verb meaning to begin to go back to the place from which youcame, to return to where you were before. In this case, Ricardo is going to headback to into town. Here, the word “town” means any urban area; could be a city,it could be a small town. The general expression “to go into town” usually meansto go to the busier part of a city or into a city.

Ricardo says, “I’m tired and I want a shower.” Marsha says, “I’m sure we’ll find it.

When I talked to the desk clerk, she said that the hotel is hidden away behindsome trees.” The “desk clerk” is the person who answers the phone for abusiness or an office; we might also call the desk clerk a “receptionist.” Marshasays that the desk clerk told her that the hotel is hidden away. “To be hidden(hidden) away” means that you cannot easily see something, usually because itis behind something else. In this case, the hotel is behind some trees so youcan’t see it from the street – from the road. The desk clerk also told Marsha tokeep an eye out for the white sign that the hotel has. The expression “to keep aneye out” is very common; it means to look for something, to be aware of thethings around you. You might say to your husband, “When you go to the grocerystore, keep an eye out for any sales,” anything that is being sold at a discountedor lower price. To keep an eye out, then, means to be looking for something.

Ricardo says, “Did she say blink and you’ll miss it?” Ricardo is trying to be funnyhere. This is an old expression, “blink and you’ll (or you will) miss it.” “To blink”

means to open and close your eyelids 12; you do this automatically. The idea is thatit happens very quickly. So when someone says, “blink and you’ll miss it,” theymean that if you’re not looking carefully you will go right by it; you will miss it; youwill not see it perhaps because it is well hidden, or perhaps because it is verysmall, or perhaps it relates to an event that will happen quickly. Ricardo is sayingthat it must be a place that is very difficult to find. He says, “Because we’vedriven past this stretch three times and I don’t see a sign.” “Stretch” here refersto a certain part or a certain section of a road, between one point and another. Itcould be three blocks, it could be a half a mile, it could be five kilometers; it’s asomewhat vague, unspecific term to refer to a part of a street or a road. In thiscase, Ricardo is referring to the part of the road where the hotel is supposed tobe, and they still are unable to find it.

Marsha says, “She just said that they’re a little off the beaten path.” “A little” heremeans slightly, a little bit. “To be off the beaten path” means to be in a place thatis not normally visited by a lot of people; it’s not downtown, it’s not where thereare a lot of tourists.

Ricardo says, “If they know that their hotel is so hard to find, why don’t they makeit more prominent with some kind of landmark?” “Prominent” here means to beseen easily because it’s very large or perhaps different. Some buildings havespecial signs or things that they put on the building so you can find them easilywhen you’re driving down the street. McDonald’s, the hamburger restaurant, hasa big yellow “m” that makes the restaurant more prominent; you see that; youknow what that means; you can find it easily because of it. Ricardo says thatthey should make their hotel more prominent with some kind of “landmark.” Herehe’s using the term, I think, to mean some physical change in the building, something that they would add to the building, perhaps a big flagpole with a flag orsomething that they could tell people to look for that would indicate that theirhotel was there. We also use the term “landmark” to refer to important buildingsor statues, but here it’s used more generally to mean simply something physicalthat will help you find the location.

Marsha says, “That’s part of the charm of a small hotel hideaway.” “Charm” heremeans things that are likable, especially in a somewhat and perhaps oldfashionedway, the way things used to be many years ago. When someonesays, “Oh, this is charming,” they mean it’s nice, it’s pleasant, it’s calmingperhaps. “Charm” is also used to describe a personality characteristic. Whenyou say, “That man was very charming,” we mean he was very nice; he was verylikable. Marsha says that this is one of the charms of a small hotel hideaway.

“Hideaway” (hideaway – one word) is a place where you can go that you will notbe interrupted by other people, a place where you can be by yourself so that noone will bother you or find you. Marsha says, “It doesn’t have neon signs and it’stucked away far from the tourist areas.” A “neon (neon) sign” is a large signwhere the words and images are in special lights. You put a special kind of gas– neon gas into these tubes that act like light bulbs and form the sign. Neonsigns were very popular back in the 50s and 60s and 70s, and still today in someplaces. Las Vegas is famous for its neon signs, so is Sunset Boulevard here inLos Angeles, and, of course, Broadway in New York City. Anyway, Marsha saysthat this hotel does not have neon signs, “it’s tucked away far from the touristareas.” “To be tucked away” means to be far away from other people, otherbuildings, from where the rest of the people are; in this case, away from thetourist areas, places where visitors would go.

Ricardo says, “That’s all good and fine (meaning well, that’s nice), but we have tofind it first. Okay,” he says, “this is the last pass,” the last time he’s going to drivedown this stretch of road. “Keep your eyes peeled,” he says. “To keep youreyes peeled” (peeled) means to look for something very carefully, especiallywhen you know it is difficult to find. So, it’s similar to “keep an eye out,” but itrequires even more concentration; you have to really be looking for it becauseyou know it’s difficult to find.

Marsha says, “There it is! I’ve spotted (or seen) the sign. It’s over there, see?”

Ricardo says, “Yeah, now I see it. Geez, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack!”

“Geez,” spelled usually (geez), is an expression of surprise or relief or some sortof uncertainty 13. In this case, it’s more relief than anything else. Someone says,“Oh, geez! Where did I put my keys?” you’re confused; you’re lost. Or someonemay say, “Oh, geez! You scared me when you walked up without knocking onmy door.” So, it can be used in a lot of different cases. Ricardo says finding thishotel is like finding a needle in a haystack. A “needle” is a small, sharp pin that isused for sewing things together, putting together two pieces of fabric 14 for clothing,for example. A “haystack” is made of hay – “hay” is basically dried grass – that isput together and used on a farm. The idea of a needle in a haystack is that it’svery difficult to find. It would be very difficult to find any sort of small object thatwas hidden in a large area, that’s the idea of finding a needle in a haystack.

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

[start of dialogue]

Ricardo: I’m making one more pass and if we don’t see a sign for the hotel, I’mheading back into town. I’m tired and I want a shower.

Marsha: I’m sure we’ll find it. When I talked to the desk clerk, she said that thehotel is hidden away behind some trees and to keep an eye out for their whitesign.

Ricardo: Did she say blink and you’ll miss it? Because we’ve driven past thisstretch three times and I don’t see a sign.

Marsha: She just said that they’re a little off the beaten path.

Ricardo: If they know that their hotel is so hard to find, why don’t they make itmore prominent with some kind of landmark?

Marsha: That’s part of the charm of a small hotel hideaway. It doesn’t haveneon signs and it’s tucked away far from the tourist areas.

Ricardo: That’s all good and fine, but we have to find it first. Okay, this is thelast pass. Keep your eyes peeled.

Marsha: There it is! I’ve spotted the sign. It’s over there, see?

Ricardo: Yeah, now I see it. Geez, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack!

[end of dialogue]

The script for this episode was written by our own charming 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.