2011年ESL之日常生活 06 Threatening Other Countries

06 Threatening Other Countries

GLOSSARY 1

military exercise – war game; a way to train an army or navy group, or a way totest equipment for warfare 2, by testing systems as if an actual battle or war ishappening

* Sometimes countries use computer simulations as military exercises to helpofficers develop the best ways to make decisions.

border – the line between two countries, states, or provinces; the geographic 3 lineseparating or dividing two parts of a piece of land on a map

* Which states share a border with Nebraska?

to send (someone) a message – to communicate indirectly 4; to make suresomeone understands what one is thinking without saying it directly

* Dan has bad breath, but nobody wants to tell him directly, so his co-workers aretrying to send a message by putting a large bottle of mouthwash in the officebathroom.

saber-rattling – a display, demonstration 5, or show of strength and fighting power

* Are they really going to attack us, or is it just saber-rattling?

to amass 6 – to collect and accumulate; to gather many items and keep them inone place

* It has taken ten years and thousands of dollars to amass this DVD collection.

weapon – a tool used to hurt or kill other people while fighting

* Which weapon would you prefer: a sword or a knife?

to posture 7 – to present oneself in a particular way; to convey a certainimpression

* Delia is always posturing 8 as an expert in music, but she has never studiedmusic in any serious way.

threat – risk; something that can cause harm or danger and may do so in thenear future

* The conference speaker said that the personal automobile 9 is a serious threatfor the environment.

to bear the responsibility – to be held accountable for something; to admit thatone has done something wrong and accept the consequences of it

* Who will bear the responsibility if this deal fails? Your company or mine?

to violate – to break a rule or agreement; to disobey or not follow a rule oragreement

* If you violate the terms of this agreement, you might have to pay hundreds ofdollars in fines.

treaty – an official agreement between two countries

* According to the treaty, our country has to help if their country is attacked.

military aggression 10 – for a nation’s armed forces (army, navy, air force, etc.) toshow their power and strength against another country’s armed forces

* The members of this church believe that all military aggression is wrong, sothey never serve in the army.

to attack – to initiate 11 or begin a fight or battle; to begin to hurt or kill anotherperson or group, without waiting for them to hurt one’s own group first

* That dog just attacked the little girl for no reason!

to retaliate 12 – to take revenge; to do something bad to another person after he orshe has done something bad to oneself

* If you read your sister’s diary, she might retaliate by doing something worse toyou.

to escalate 13 – to increase in intensity 14 or importance; to become more serious orimportant, involving more people and authority

* When the teacher caught the student cheating on the exam, he escalated 15 thesituation by calling the principal and the student’s parents.

underground bunker – a strong, safe place where soldiers can find protectionbelow the surface of the earth

* The soldiers were cold and wet in the underground bunker, but at least theywere protected from gunfire.

to strike – to attack; to hit someone; to send a bomb

* If the enemy strikes tonight, will we be prepared to fight back?

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does Emilio mean when he says, “they’re posturing”?

a) The Canadian military is trying to appear strong.

b) The army is marching in unusual formations.

c) The soldiers are standing 16 very straight and tall.

2. What does Tania mean when she says, “Things could escalate very quickly”?

a) The army might move northwards very quickly.

b) The situation might become serious very soon.

c) The fighting will get very noisy in the future.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

border

The word “border,” in this podcast, means the geographic line separating ordividing two parts of land on a map: “The border between Oregon andWashington follows the Columbia river.” Or, “Do we need a passport to cross theU.S./Canadian border?” The word “border” can also refer to the division orseparation between other things: “Biochemistry straddles the border betweenbiology, chemistry, and genetic 17 engineering.” The word “border” also refers to aline along the edge of an object: “The information would be easier to read if youput a border around the table.” Or, “What a beautiful lace border you’ve put onthe tablecloth 18!” When talking about a yard or garden, a “border” is an area alongthe edge of the grass where flowers or other plants grow: “Lynn bought a lot oftulips to plant along the border.”

to strike

In this podcast, the verb “to strike” means to attack or to hit someone, or to senda bomb: “When the pilot made a mistake, the bomb struck a hospital instead ofthe military base.” The phrase “to strike a match” means to move a matchagainst a hard surface to create a fire: “Shannon tried to strike the match, but itwas wet and wouldn’t light.” The phrase “to strike a deal” means to reach anagreement: “Let’s strike a deal: I’ll wash your car if you’ll help me with my essay.”

Finally, the phrase “to strike a balance” means to spend the right amount of timeor give the right amount of attention to two or more things: “Many people struggleto strike a balance between work and family.”

CULTURE NOTE

The border between the United States and Canada is the longest border in theworld. Including the part between Canada and Alaska, the “terrestrial” (landbased,not water-based) border is more than 5,500 miles (almost 8,900kilometers) long.

The border was created by the Treaty of Paris in 1783 at the end of the AmericanRevolutionary War (the War fought to separate the American colonies from GreatBritain) and the Convention of 1818. The eastern end of the border follows the45th “parallel” (a line of latitude 19; one of the horizontal lines circling the globe,parallel to the equator), and the western end of the border follows the 49thparallel. There are also water borders along the Great Lakes.

There is “relatively” (comparatively) little “security” (law enforcement) along theU.S.-Canadian border, but people crossing the border are expected to “presentthemselves to” (report to and speak with) an “immigration officer” (a personwhose job is to examine passports and visas to determine whether someoneshould be allowed into a country).

To enter Canada, travelers need to provide proof of citizenship 20 and proof ofidentity, such as a driver’s license 21 and birth certificate. However, to re-enter theUnited States, travelers must have a U.S. passport book or a passport “card” (asmaller, passport-like document that is less expensive than a passport, but validonly for land border crossings). Travelers who are less than 16 years old cancross the U.S.-Canadian border with just a birth certificate. The rules “governing”

(mandating; controlling) which documents are needed to cross the border havechanged many times in recent years due to the Western Hemisphere TravelInitiative.

______________

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 22

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 674: ThreateningOther Countries.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 674. 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.

In this episode, we’re going to hear a conversation between Tania and Emilioabout threatening other countries. When two countries are having difficulties,shall we say, and might even in fact start fighting each other. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Tania: Did you see the news today? Canada has been doing military exercisesnear the Canada-U.S. border. I think they’re trying to send us a message.

Emilio: They’re just saber-rattling. They think we’re amassing 23 weapons near theborder and they’re posturing.

Tania: I don’t think they’re just posturing.

Emilio: Canada is no real threat. No one in the government wants to bear theresponsibility of violating Canada’s treaty with us.

Tania: How can you say that? All of this military aggression makes me nervous.

If Canada decides to attack, we would have no choice but to retaliate. Thingscould escalate very quickly.

Emilio: That’s why I’m well prepared.

Tania: Well prepared? How?

Emilio: Haven’t you seen me building my underground bunker? I’ll be safe thereif Canada, or anyone else, strikes.

Tania: An underground bunker?

Emilio: Yes, and if you ask nicely, I’ll save a place for you.

[end of dialogue]

Tania begins by saying to Emilio, “Did you see the news today (the news reportsor the newspaper)? Canada has been doing military exercises near the Canada-U.S. border.” “Military exercises” are one way that the military – the army andthe navy – use to train. It is sort of like a fake war; they test their systems tomake sure that everything is working, that their soldiers know what to do, and soforth. Sometimes it’s called a “war game” in fact. The “border” is the line thatdivides two countries or states or provinces. It’s a geographic line that separatestwo pieces of land.

In the dialogue, Canada is apparently 24 mad at the United States and their military– their army and navy – is doing military exercises near the border. Tania says,“I think they’re trying to send us a message.” “To send (someone) a message”

means to make sure that the person understands exactly what you’re thinkingwithout necessarily saying it directly to them. So, we’re communicatingsomething but it isn’t necessarily in words.

Emilio says, “They (meaning the evil Canadians) are just saber-rattling.” A“saber” (saber) is a large sword that’s sharp that you could kill someone with.

“To rattle” (rattle) is to make a noise. Often when you have pieces of metal thatare next to each other they may make a noise like this: [rattling sound]. Thatwasn’t a saber, those were actually the pens that I have in this blue cup I keephere next my microphone that has a lot of pens and pencils and that sort of thing.

I guess you use a pen to kill someone – possible. Anyway, “saber-rattling” is anold expression that means a certain country is trying to demonstrate or showsomeone else that they are militarily powerful. So, they may do militaryexercises or they may do things that show their military in action. That’s saberrattling.

Emilio says, “They (the Canadians) think we’re amassing weapons near theborder and they’re posturing.” “To amass” (amass) means to collect or gather asmany items of a certain thing as you can and put them all in one place. I haveamassed several pens and pencils in my blue cup here on the desk. A “weapon”

is something that will hurt you, something physical typically, a tool, if you will, forhurting someone: a knife, a gun, that sort of thing – a pen. So Canada thinks theU.S. is amassing weapons near the border, and the Canadians, in response tothis, are posturing. “To posture” (posture) as a verb means to present yourself ina certain way to convey a certain impression on the other person. It’s often used in the negative sense of someone who’s trying to be something they’re not, orsomeone who perhaps is doing this for no good reason.

Tania says, “I don’t think they’re just posturing.” They’re not just acting 25 this way,they really are angry – because everyone knows, Canadians can get very angry!

Emilio says, “Canada is no real threat.” A “threat” is a risk, something that cancause harm or damage. Emilio says, “No one in the government wants to bearthe responsibility of violating Canada’s treaty with us.” “To bear (bear – just likethe animal) the responsibility” means to admit when something has gone wrongand accept the consequences. Another expression we might use is “to be heldaccountable.” So no one in the government wants to bear the responsibility –wants to have the responsibility of “violating,” or breaking, not following Canada’streaty with us. A “treaty” is a formal agreement between two countries to dosomething or not do something. The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I; theSALT, or Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, helped reduce the number of nuclearweapons between the United States and the then Soviet 26 Union.

Tania says, “How can you say that? All of this military aggression makes menervous.” “Aggression” is when someone is angry or mad and actually doessomething about it. Military aggression would be when the military is showingtheir power – is showing their strength because their country is angry. She says,“If Canada decides to attack, we would have no choice but to retaliate.” “Toattack” means to begin a fight or a battle. Usually it’s something between twoarmies, but it could be two people. “He was attacked by a dog last night,” thedog tried to bite him. Or, “She was attacked by the mean cat that was in theneighbors’ yard.” These, of course, are our real threats: cats and dogs! But,going back to our back to our story – I’m kidding, of course. Going back to ourstory, Tania says, “we would have no choice (if Canada decides to attack) but toretaliate.” When we say “we have no choice but to (do something)” we mean wehave no other option, we must do this. In this case, we must retaliate. “Toretaliate” (retaliate) means to do something bad to another person after he or shehas done something bad to you. It’s similar to another word: “revenge.”

“Retaliate” usually is related to someone trying to hurt you – someone trying tohurt your country, and you then attack them back to defend yourself. Tania says,“Things could escalate very quickly.” “To escalate” (escalate) means to increasethe importance or seriousness or intensity of something, to involve more people,to move something to a higher level, to make it more serious, to make it biggerperhaps. So when two countries start fighting with each other, sometimes theviolence can escalate. They kill 5 people, and then you kill 10 of their people,and they retaliate and kill 25 of your people. That’s escalating 27 violence; it’sgetting worse and worse as we go forward in time.

Emilio says to this possibility of escalation 28 (the noun of “to escalate”), “That’s whyI’m well prepared (I’m ready),” Emilio says. Tania asks him, “Well prepared?

How?” How are you well prepared? Emilio says, “Haven’t you seen me buildingmy underground bunker?” “Underground” is something that is below the ground,in the earth. A “bunker” (bunker) is a strong, safe place where you are protectedagainst some military attack; you are underground. So, an “underground bunker”

is a place where you could be safe if you were attacked or your country wasattacked, that’s the idea. There were some people, especially back in the 50sand 60s, that built bunkers in their houses because they were afraid of a nuclearattack on the United States. I’m not sure if the bunker would have helped verymuch! Anyway, Emilio says, “I’ll be safe there (in my bunker) if Canada, oranyone else, strikes.” “To strike” here means to hit someone or to attacksomeone; to send a bomb, that’s an example of striking. There was a movie,one of the Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back, meaning the Empireattacks after being attacked.

Tania says, “An underground bunker?” Emilio says, “Yes, and if you ask nicely(if you’re nice to me), I’ll save a place for you.” So that’s what some people aredoing preparing for Canada’s attack on the United States!

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

[start of dialogue]

Tania: Did you see the news today? Canada has been doing military exercisesnear the Canada-U.S. border. I think they’re trying to send us a message.

Emilio: They’re just saber-rattling. They think we’re amassing weapons near theborder and they’re posturing.

Tania: I don’t think they’re just posturing.

Emilio: Canada is no real threat. No one in the government wants to bear theresponsibility of violating Canada’s treaty with us.

Tania: How can you say that? All of this military aggression makes me nervous.

If Canada decides to attack, we would have no choice but to retaliate. Thingscould escalate very quickly.

Emilio: That’s why I’m well prepared.

Tania: Well prepared? How?

Emilio: Haven’t you seen me building my underground bunker? I’ll be safe thereif Canada, or anyone else, strikes.

Tania: An underground bunker?

Emilio: Yes, and if you ask nicely, I’ll save a place for you.

[end of dialogue]

Our scriptwriter would never attack anyone. That’s because it’s the kind andwonderful Dr. Lucy Tse.

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 2011 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.