2010年ESL之日常生活 24 Fire and Firefighters

24 Fire and Firefighters

GLOSSARY

smoke – the smelly gray or black air that appears when something is burning;the dark gas that comes from a fire

* It was really rude when Boyce blew smoke in his father’s face.

story – a floor or level in a building

* This skyscraper is more than 50 stories tall.

fire alarm – a loud sound and/or bright flashing light used to let people know thatthere is a fire in the building and they should leave

* When the school tests its fire alarm, students leave their classroom with theirteacher while the administrators see how long it takes to get everyone out of thebuilding.

to go off – for an alarm to begin making noise

* Bernice’s alarm clock goes off at 5:45 a.m. each morning so that she can getready for work.

fire station – a large building that houses people and equipment for putting outfires

* The nearest fire station is more than one hour’s drive away, so if there’s a firehere, we’ll probably have to put it out ourselves.

fire engine – fire truck; a large red or yellow truck that carries hoses, ladders,and other equipment for putting out fires

* If you see a fire engine with its lights on, you should pull over and let it drive byquickly.

firefighter – a person whose job is to put out fires

* Firefighters come from all over the state to fight the large forest fires eachsummer.

blaze – a large flame; a fire, especially a big and dangerous one

* The investigators think the blaze started with an electrical problem.

fire extinguisher – a metal container that is held in one’s hands and sprays outchemicals to put out a fire

* It’s a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, just in case there’s afire.

ladder – a piece of equipment that allows a person to climb high, with two longpieces of metal or wood and many shorter pieces of metal or wood betweenthem, leaned against a wall to be almost like a staircase

* They used a ladder to reach that kitten that got stuck high up in the tree.

fire hose – a long, flexible fabric or plastic tube that carries water from one placeto another, used to put out fires

* That fire hose is so heavy that at least three strong firemen are needed to carryit.

hydrant – a large piece of metal, usually painted red, orange, or yellow, placedon the side of the street and connected to water pipes under the street, so thatfirefighters can connect a fire hose to it and have water to put out a fire

* It’s illegal to park in front of a fire hydrant, because you car might make itimpossible for firefighters to get the water they need to put out a fire.

false alarm – a situation where people believe there is a problem, but actuallyeverything is fine

* We thought Anita was having a heart attack, but the doctors said it was a falsealarm and she was just experiencing stomach problems.

smoke detector – a device that makes a loud sound when smoke is in the air,letting people know there is a fire somewhere

* The smoke detector in the kitchen goes off almost every time Kirby cooks,because he burns everything!

to burn – to be consumed by fire; to be damaged or destroyed by fire; to be inflames

* Tyler and his wife cried as they watched their house burn.

ashes – the grey or black powder that is left after something has burned

* If you light a fire in the fireplace, be sure to clean up all the ashes.

to have a fascination with (something) – to be very interested in something; tospend a lot of time thinking about something

* Bud has always had a fascination with outer space, so it was easy for him todecide to study astronomy in college.

to light up – to put a small fire at the end of a cigar or cigarette so that one cansmoke it

* Please don’t light up around the baby. The smoke isn’t good for her.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Which of these would you expect to smell when there is a fire?

a) Smoke.

b) Blaze.

c) Ashes.

2. Which of these things moves water to a fire?

a) A fire engine.

b) A ladder.

c) A fire hose.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

story

The word “story,” in this podcast, means a floor or level in a building: “His office ison the top story of the office building, so he enjoys great views of the city.” A“story” is also an entertaining description of something that happens, eitherfictional (invented; not true) or true: “This book is based on the true story of theauthor’s life.” Or, “Her parents always tell her a bedtime story before she fallsasleep.” A “news story” is one report, or one section of a TV news program orone article in a newspaper: “Did you watch the news story about theearthquake?” Finally, the phrase “It’s a long story” is used when one does notwant to share all the details that would be needed to answer someone’squestion: A: “Why did you and Gerald break up?” B: “It’s a long story.”

blaze

In this podcast, the word “blaze” means a large flame or fire, especially a big anddangerous one: “We thought it was just a small kitchen fire and we didn’t realizehow big the blaze was until we got out of the house and saw that most of the roofwas on fire.” The word “blaze” can also describe a very bright color or a verybright light: “Each fall, the forests are a beautiful blaze of red, orange, and yellowleaves.” The phrase “blaze of glory” refers to something that is very successfuland admirable: “Her career was a blaze of glory, before she died at the youngage of 35.” Finally, the phrase “What the blazes” is used when one is veryannoyed or upset and wants to know what has happened: “What the blazes didyou do to make her cry?”

CULTURE NOTE

“Hazardous materials” (HAZMAT) are any substances that can harm people andthe environment. They can be “chemical” (made from dangerous chemicals),“biological” (dangerous bacteria or viruses), “corrosive” (very acidic, damagingskin and surfaces), highly “flammable” (burning easily), or even “radioactive”

(sending out dangerous radiation). HAZMAT requires special “handling” (the waysomething is transported and treated) by trained HAZMAT teams.

There are legal “restrictions” (limitations) on who can create, transport, sell, andbuy hazardous materials, but “nevertheless” (even thought that is true) accidentshappen. In the United States, when there is a HAZMAT “spill” (when somethingaccidentally falls out of its container), a HAZMAT team is “called to the scene”

(asked to come to the place where something has happened). Most U.S. firedepartments have at least one HAZMAT team.

The HAZMAT team members arrive in special “HAZMAT suits” (protectiveclothing and other coverings to prevent contact with the hazardous materials),often covered “from head to toe” (over one’s entire body) in brightly coloredplastic. The HAZMAT team first focuses on “containing the spill” (not letting thespill continue or spread). Then, they try to clean up the spill, removing thehazardous materials and “disposing of them” (throwing them away) properly. Ifthe spill “presents” (has; shows) a “threat” (risk of danger or death) to humanhealth, the media is “alerted” (told about the problem) and people in the localarea may be asked to “evacuate” (leave an area).

The person or business responsible for the HAZMAT spill is often responsible forpaying for the clean-up efforts.

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 638: Fire andFirefighters.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 638. 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. You can go there and download a Learning Guidefor this episode. The Learning Guide contains all of the vocabulary, definitions,sample sentences, additional definitions, culture notes, comprehensionquestions, and – yes there’s more – and a complete transcript of everything wesay on this episode.

This episode is about fire and the people who try to put fires out – to extinguishfires, as we’ll learn. Those are firefighters. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Rebecca: Look, there’s smoke coming from six stories up.

Hugh: Yes, I know. Didn’t you hear the fire alarm go off upstairs a few minutesago?

Rebecca: No, but I’m really glad there’s a fire station only a few blocks away.

Hey look, there’s the fire engine. Here come the firefighters!

Hugh: Yeah, let’s get back to work. I’m sure they’ll have the blaze under controlpretty quickly.

Rebecca: How can you work with all of this excitement? Maybe I should get thefire extinguisher from the hallway and go upstairs to help.

Hugh: I think that’s a really bad idea. You can see for yourself that thefirefighters are getting ready to fight the fire. They’re getting the ladder out andattaching the fire hose to the hydrant. Anyway, it’s probably just a false alarm.

Rebecca: If the smoke detector went off then I’m sure there’s a fire. We’ll knowif we start to see something burning near a window or ashes coming down.

Hugh: I’ve never seen you like this before. Why are you so excited?

Rebecca: I wanted to be a firefighter when I grew up. I’ve always had afascination with fire.

Hugh: Ah, that explains it. Would it make you feel better if I lit up a cigarette?

[end of dialogue]

Rebecca begins by saying to Hugh, “Look, there’s smoke coming from six storiesup.” “Smoke” is the gray or black air that comes from something that is burning;it’s something that comes from a fire typically. “Where there’s smoke, there’sfire” is an old expression that means if you see some evidence of something it’svery likely that that something actually exists. Typically, it refers to somethingbad that might be happening. Well here, the smoke is coming from the fire in areal way – literally. The fire is in a building, and the building has six stories. A“story” here means a floor or a level of a building. “Story” has other meanings, ofcourse, in English, and those can be found in this episode’s Learning Guide.

Hugh says, “Yes, I know. Didn’t you hear the fire alarm go off upstairs a fewminutes ago?” A “fire alarm” is a loud sound, sometimes with flashing lights, thatis used to tell people – to let people know that there is a fire in the building andthey should leave. When I was growing up, and still I’m sure, in schools thereare “fire drills.” These are practice exercises of what to do, where to go if there isa fire. And so, the school would turn on the fire alarm, and that would tellteachers and students that they needed to get up and leave the building. Thisfire alarm is in a building, and Hugh says it goes off. He said, “Didn’t you hearthe fire alarm go off?” “To go off” is a two-word phrasal verb, here meaning foran alarm to begin making noise. A fire alarm is just one kind of alarm. Many ofus have an alarm that helps us wake up in the morning: a sound that comes fromyour clock or clock radio. That’s also an alarm. My alarm goes off at 5:45 in themorning. This is a fire alarm, and so the fire alarm went off. Notice the pasttense. “To go off” can also be used with the preposition “on,” meaning to startyelling at or to get mad at: “I don’t want you going off on your brother.” I don’twant you getting mad at your brother. Or, “He went off on his wife for forgettingto buy his favorite food for dinner.” He, of course, is someone who will not besleeping in his regular bed this evening!

Rebecca says, “No (she didn’t hear the fire alarm go off), but I’m really gladthere’s a fire station only a few blocks away.” A “fire station” is a large buildingwhere firefighters stay, and where there are large machines – large trucks really,that are called “fire engines.” And these fire engines go and try to put out – toextinguish, to get rid of – fires. Rebecca says, “Hey look, there’s the fire engine.”

As I said, it’s also called a “fire truck,” usually it’s red in color. She says, “Herecome the firefighters!” “Firefighters” are people whose job it is to put out fires.

We used to call them simply “firemen,” but some people wanted a term that didnot have the word “man” in it – we won’t talk about that issue here – so nowthey’re called more commonly “firefighters.”

The firefighters are coming. Hugh says, “Yeah, let’s get back to work (meaninglet’s return to our jobs). I’m sure they’ll have the blaze under control prettyquickly.” A “blaze” (blaze) is a large fire, especially a big and dangerous one.

Hugh says that the firefighters will have the blaze “under control,” meaning theywill be able to manage it, they will be able to make sure that it doesn’t get anybigger. They’ll have it under control pretty, or very, quickly.

Rebecca says, “How can you work with all of this excitement? Maybe I shouldget the fire extinguisher from the hallway and go upstairs to help.” A “fireextinguisher” is a metal, typically round container that you hold in your hands,and you press a button and it sprays out a chemical that helps put out a fire – asmall fire, like in your kitchen for example. “Extinguisher” comes from the verb“to extinguish,” which means to get rid of or put out a fire. A fire extinguisher, ofcourse, won’t really help in this situation; you need something larger.

Hugh says, “I think that’s a really bad idea. You can see for yourself that thefirefighters are getting ready to fight the fire.” We use that verb, “to fight,” whenwe are talking about putting out a fire. “They’re getting the ladder out andattaching the fire hose to the hydrant.” A “ladder” (ladder) allows you to climb uphigh, for example to the top of a building. A ladder has two long pieces of metalor wood that are vertical – they go up and down, and then they are connected bysmaller horizontal pieces of wood or metal, and those are the ones you use tostep on to go up to a higher level. Fire engines have ladders that can allow thefirefighters to go up high to help fight the fires.

They are getting the ladder out, meaning they are getting it ready, and attaching,or connecting, the fire hose to be hydrant. A “hydrant” (hydrant) is somethingthat you will find near the road – near a street. It is usually painted red,sometimes orange, maybe yellow. It is connected to the water pipes underneaththe street, and firefighters can open the hydrant and water will come out and theyuse that water to put out the fire. They use a “fire hose,” which is a long, flexibleusually plastic tube that carries the water from the hydrant to the place of the fire.

Hugh says, “Anyway, it’s probably just a false alarm.” A “false alarm” is whenpeople think there’s a fire, but there really isn’t. It can also be used to talk about a situation where people think there’s a big problem, but there really isn’t: “Ithought my friend was having a heart attack, but he wasn’t. It was a false alarm.”

Rebecca says, “If the smoke detector went off then I’m sure there’s a fire.” The“smoke detector” is a small device that you find in buildings and homes thatmakes a very loud noise when there is smoke in the air, letting people know thatthere may be a fire. Remember, where there’s smoke, there’s fire! Well, thissmoke detector “detects,” or figures out whether there is smoke in the air, andmakes a loud sound. Rebecca says, “If the smoke detector went off (remember,we talked about “to go off” earlier) then I’m sure there’s a fire. We’ll know if westart to see something burning near a window or ashes coming down.” “Burning”

comes from the verb “to burn,” which is when something is damaged ordestroyed by fire. “Ashes” (ashes) are gray or black pieces of powder that areleft after something burns, especially wood or paper, you get lots of ashes.

Hugh says, “I’ve never seen you like this before.” I guess Hugh was veryexcited, ‘cause his voice went up there! “Why are you so excited?” Rebeccasays, “I wanted to be a firefighter when I grew up.” Okay. “I’ve always had afascination with fire.” “To have a fascination with (something)” means that youare very interested in something; you spend a lot of time thinking aboutsomething.

Hugh says, “Ah, that explains it.” Traditionally, we think about boys thinkingabout becoming firemen when they grow up. That’s kind a classic, at least in theUnited States, dream that some young boys have, but Rebecca said she wantedto be a firefighter when she was growing up. Hugh says, “Ah, that explains it(that tells me the reason why you are excited).” Then he tries to make a joke; hesays, “Would it make you feel better if I lit up a cigarette?” “Lit up” comes from“to light up” (“light” is the present tense). You can also say “lighted up,” both arecorrect: “lit” or “lighted.” “To light up a cigarette” means to burn a small fire at theend of a cigarette so that you can smoke it. Now, the interesting thing here isthat Hugh wants to go back to work even though there is a fire in the samebuilding where he is working at, six floors up. I guess Hugh really love his job!

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

[start of dialogue]

Rebecca: Look, there’s smoke coming from six stories up.

Hugh: Yes, I know. Didn’t you hear the fire alarm go off upstairs a few minutesago?

Rebecca: No, but I’m really glad there’s a fire station only a few blocks away.

Hey look, there’s the fire engine. Here come the firefighters!

Hugh: Yeah, let’s get back to work. I’m sure they’ll have the blaze under controlpretty quickly.

Rebecca: How can you work with all of this excitement? Maybe I should get thefire extinguisher from the hallway and go upstairs to help.

Hugh: I think that’s a really bad idea. You can see for yourself that thefirefighters are getting ready to fight the fire. They’re getting the ladder out andattaching the fire hose to the hydrant. Anyway, it’s probably just a false alarm.

Rebecca: If the smoke detector went off then I’m sure there’s a fire. We’ll knowif we start to see something burning near a window or ashes coming down.

Hugh: I’ve never seen you like this before. Why are you so excited?

Rebecca: I wanted to be a firefighter when I grew up. I’ve always had afascination with fire.

Hugh: Ah, that explains it. Would it make you feel better if I lit up a cigarette?

[end of dialogue]

If you have a fascination with English, you should definitely listen to the scriptsthat are written by our own Dr. Lucy Tse, like this episode’s.

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