2010年ESL之餐饮娱乐 04 Magic and Illusions

04 Magic and Illusions

GLOSSARY 1

magic show – a type of entertainment where the performer (magician) appearsto do things that are impossible or unbelievable* Have you ever been to a magic show where the magician actually pulled arabbit out of his hat?

magic trick – a skillful action where the performer (magician) appears to dosomething that is impossible or unbelievable* He has a really cool magic trick where he seems to pull a coin out of a child’sear.

to blow (one’s) mind – to make someone feel very surprised, impressed, andexcited* The way you’re able to work full-time 2 running your own business, raise threeyoung children, and compete in the Olympics blows my mind!

illusion – something that appears different than how it actually is* She seems to have everything under control, but it’s really an illusion and herlife is actually falling apart.

smoke and mirrors – something that distracts people so that they focus theirattention on something else* The president’s press conference on space exploration was really just smokeand mirrors to distract people from more important issues.

sleight 3 of hand – quick hand movements that have been practiced many times,used in a magic trick so that people cannot see how something was done* Ahmed’s quick sleight of hand makes it really easy for him to cheat whileplaying cards.

escape artist – a performer who is able to get out of very difficult situations, forexample when tied up inside a locked box that is placed underwater* That escape artist must have held her breath for at least three minutes beforeshe got out of the box and swam up to the surface of the pool.

misdirection – the act of distracting someone, making him or her focus onsomething else, usually so that one can do something secretly* The boy’s cry for help was just misdirection so that his father, the thief, couldsteal money from the store without being seen.

trap door – a hidden door in the floor, usually underneath 4 a rug, that allowssomeone to leave a room quickly without being seen* You left the room so quickly that we started to wonder whether there was a trapdoor we didn’t know about!

mind reader – psychic 5; a person who has the power to know what other peopleare thinking even when they don’t say anything* I wish I were a mind reader so I could know what you’re really thinking.

supernatural power – an ability to do something that is normally impossible andcannot be explained by scientists* Which supernatural power would you rather have: the ability to see throughwalls, or the ability to fly?

to debunk 6 – to prove that something is impossible or not true* So far, no one has been able to debunk the scientist’s unusual theory.

power of suggestion – the ability to give someone a thought or idea and makehim or her think that it was his or her own idea and then believe it* Watching commercials for food always makes me hungry. Those companiesare really good at using the power of suggestion to sell more of their products!

jaded 7 – no longer interested in something, usually because one has had toomuch of it; no longer able to become excited about something* When Troy first came to this company, he was really excited about the workwe’re doing. But now, more than 20 years later, he’s jaded and can hardly makehimself come to the office each morning.

gullible 8 – believing everything other people say and do; easily tricked or fooled* Did you really think you could buy a real Rolex watch for just $15? How gullibleare you?

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Why doesn’t Sergio like the magic show?

a) Because he has seen all the magic tricks before.

b) Because he thinks magic is evil.

c) Because he knows how the tricks are done.

2. What is a “sleight of hand” trick?

a) A trick performed with animals.

b) A trick that requires fast hand movements.

c) A trick where one’s hand seems to disappear.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to blow (one’s) mind

The phrase “to blow (one’s) mind,” in this podcast, means to make someone feelvery surprised, impressed, and excited: “It blew the children’s mind when theyfound out that Debbie’s father was an astronaut.” The phrase “to blow (one’s)cover” means to reveal someone’s real identity or real name: “Who blew thepolice officer’s cover?” The phrase “to blow (something) out of proportion”

means to act as if something is much more serious or important than it really is:

“When Karina scratched the car, her parents blew it out of proportion and startedacting like she had gotten into a major car accident.” Finally, the phrase “to blowoff steam” means to do something to get rid of one’s feelings of anger or stress:

“I should really go to the gym to blow off steam before I end up yelling at myboss.”

trap door

In this podcast, a “trap door” is a hidden door in the floor, usually underneath arug, that allows someone to leave a room quickly without being seen: “Lorrainehid a box of secret love letters under a trap door in the attic 9 floor.” A “tourist trap”

is an expensive place where many tourists go to, but that doesn’t offer very muchreal value: “That market is such a tourist trap, selling poor quality things at highprices!” A “speed trap” is a place on a road where police officers wait forspeeding cars so that they can give the drivers a ticket: “Make sure you slowdown around this bend, because there’s a speed trap there.” Finally, a “death trap” is a car that is in very poor condition and is dangerous to drive: “Did youreally drive across the country in that death trap?”

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CULTURE NOTED 10

avid 11 Copperfield is a very well-known American magician. He began practicingmagic tricks when he was just 10 years old, and he was “admitted to” (allowed toenter) the Society of American Magicians when he was just 12 years old,becoming the organization’s youngest member. In 1977, he became the “host”

(someone who introduces guests on a program) of a television show called “TheMagic of ABC,” and then began “starring” (having the lead or most important role)in his own show, “The Magic of David Copperfield.”

Copperfield is an illusionist, and his illusions have included making the Statue ofLiberty seem to disappear and “levitating” (floating in the air) over the GrandCanyon. Today, he owns the International Museum and Library of the“Conjuring” (magic) Arts, which is filled with “memorabilia” (objects connectedwith a famous person or event) related to famous magicians.

Forbes magazine has described Copperfield as the most “commercially” (relatedto business and money) successful magician in history. He has sold more than 40 million tickets to his magic shows, with “revenues” (money received beforeexpenses are paid) of more than $1 billion. He has also won 20 Emmy Awardsand the Academy of Magical Arts has named him the “Magician of the Year” twice.

Penn and Teller 12 are other famous magicians who perform many magic tricks andillusions. They frequently perform in Las Vegas and have also written manybooks about magic. Many of their tricks are “quite” (very) violent and “shocking”

(surprising, usually in a negative way). For example, in some of their tricks, oneof them is run over by a heavy truck or knives go through their hands. However,even these violent tricks are performed in a “humorous” (funny) way.

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 13

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 577: Magic andIllusions.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 577. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the beautiful City of Los Angeles, in the Stateof California.

Go to our website today at eslpod.com. In fact, go there right now – I’ll stop andwait! When you’re there, you’ll see that you can download a Learning Guide forthis episode that will help you improve your English even faster.

This episode is a dialogue between Patricia and Sergio about magic, aboutpeople doing tricks that make you think that they have special powers. Let’s getstarted.

[start of dialogue]

Patricia: This is the best magic show I’ve ever seen. Have you ever seen somany amazing magic tricks in your life? They’re blowing my mind!

Sergio: They’re all just illusions. It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors.

Patricia: I don’t know how you can say that. We’ve seen some really impressivesleight of hand tricks and that escape artist seemed to do the impossible.

Sergio: Couldn’t you see that it was just misdirection? While you weren’tlooking, the magician left through the trap door.

Patricia: Maybe that’s how that trick was done, but how do you explain the mindreader? How did he know what I was thinking if he couldn’t really read my mind?

Sergio: I’m sure any supernatural powers these magicians and entertainersclaim to have have been debunked 14 by somebody. Maybe he used the power ofsuggestion. Who knows?

Patricia: And maybe you’re just jaded.

Sergio: And maybe you’re the most gullible person who ever lived!

[end of dialogue]

Patricia says to Sergio, “This is the best magic show I’ve ever seen.” A “magicshow” is a type of entertainment where there is a performer, what we call a“magician,” who appears to do things that are impossible. Patricia says, “Haveyou ever seen so many amazing magic tricks in your life?” A “magic trick” issomething that this magician does that appears impossible. For example,perhaps there’s a woman in a box, and they separate the box, and you think thatthe woman has been cut into two pieces. But of course, she hasn’t – or has she?

Patricia says these magic tricks are blowing her mind. “To blow one’s mind”

means to make someone feel very surprised or excited or impressed: “I heardher play the violin last night at the concert and it blew my mind. She wasamazing.”

Sergio says, “They’re all just illusions.” An “illusion” is something that appearsdifferent than how it actually is. You think you’re seeing one thing, but reallyyou’re seeing something else. Sergio says, “It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors.”

“It’s nothing but” means all that it is is smoke and mirrors. The expression“smoke and mirrors” (mirrors), it’s also sometimes “blue smoke and mirrors” orjust “smoke and mirrors,” they both mean the same, which is that you aredistracting people to focus their attention on something else or somewhere else,so they think that what is going on is magic, but it’s just an illusion. “Smoke andmirrors” or “blue smoke and mirrors” is a distraction 15.

Patricia says, “I don’t know how you can say that. We’ve seen some reallyimpressive sleight of hand tricks and that escape artist seemed to do theimpossible.” A “sleight (sleight) of hand trick” is when your hands move veryquickly, and you can’t really see what’s going on. Magicians often have sleight ofhand tricks. More generally, the expression is sometimes used simply to meanan illusion, a trick, something that isn’t really true but it looks true. An “escapeartist” is a magician – a performer, who is able to get out of very difficultsituations. For example, the great American magician Houdini, who is probablythe most famous magician in U.S. history, was known to be a great escape artist.

You could put him in a box, and put him into the ocean, and somehow he wouldget out the box. Of course, these things were always planned, but they made itlook like it was the impossible being done.

Sergio says, “Couldn’t you see that it was just misdirection?” “Misdirection” isdistracting someone, making him or her focus on something else so while they’relooking over there, you’re doing something over here. Then they look back, andit looks like you did something amazing or impossible, but in fact, you were just doing it so they couldn’t see it. That’s misdirection, to direct someone to thewrong place. Sergio says, “While you weren’t looking, the magician left throughthe trap (trap) door.” A “trap door” is actually in the floor, but you can’t see it; youdon’t know it’s there. Usually it is underneath like a piece of carpet or a rug, andwhen you’re not looking someone can go down through the trap door and it looksas though they simply escaped, but you couldn’t see how they did it. That’s atrap door.

Patricia says, “Maybe that’s how that trick was done, but how do you explain themind reader?” Your “mind” is what you think with. A “reader” is someone whocan tell, in this case, what’s in your mind. So, a “mind reader” would be someonewho can say, “I know what you’re thinking. Another word for a mind readerwould be a psychic. A “psychic” is a person who that says he or she has thepower to know what other people are thinking, or even to know what will happenin the future. The expression “mind reader” is sometimes used in a discussion oran argument, especially between for example a husband and a wife. The wifewill say, “Why didn’t you go to the store and buy me some flowers?” and husbandwill say, “Well, I didn’t think you liked flowers. I’m not a mind reader.” I can’t tellwhat you are thinking – I can’t see your thoughts. And then the man sleeps inthe living room that night – that’s usually what happens!

Patricia says, “How did he know what I was thinking if he couldn’t really read mymind?” Patricia thinks that this mind reader – this magician was actually readingher mind, actually knew which she was thinking. Sergio says, “I’m sure anysupernatural powers these magicians and entertainers claim to have have beendebunked by somebody.” “Supernatural” is something that is beyond the natural,beyond the normal, above what normal human beings can do. “Supernaturalpower” would be the ability to do something that would otherwise be impossible.

Sergio says, “I’m sure any supernatural powers these magicians and entertainersclaim to have (say they have) have been debunked by somebody.” “To debunk”

(debunk) means to prove that something is not true, to prove that something didnot happen the way you thought it happened. Sergio is saying that thesesupernatural powers that these magicians say they have are not reallysupernatural powers, that someone has shown how they do their tricks. Sergiosays, “Maybe he used the power of suggestion.” “The power of suggestion” iswhen you give someone an idea – a thought, and make them think that it wastheir idea to begin with so they believe it.

Patricia says, “And maybe you’re just jaded.” “To be jaded” (jaded) means thatyou have experienced something too much so that you’re no longer interested in it, or you no longer become excited by it. It’s definitely a negative expression, anegative way of describing someone to say that they’re jaded.

Sergio says, “And maybe you’re the most gullible person who ever lived!” “To begullible” (gullible) means to believe everything that other people say and do. It’s,again, a negative adjective; it means that you are easily fooled, that you believeother people when you should not. Sergio, then, is insulting Patricia by callingher gullible.

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

[start of dialogue]

Patricia: This is the best magic show I’ve ever seen. Have you ever seen somany amazing magic tricks in your life? They’re blowing my mind!

Sergio: They’re all just illusions. It’s nothing but smoke and mirrors.

Patricia: I don’t know how you can say that. We’ve seen some really impressivesleight of hand tricks and that escape artist seemed to do the impossible.

Sergio: Couldn’t you see that it was just misdirection? While you weren’tlooking, the magician left through the trap door.

Patricia: Maybe that’s how that trick was done, but how do you explain the mindreader? How did he know what I was thinking if he couldn’t really read my mind?

Sergio: I’m sure any supernatural powers these magicians and entertainersclaim to have have been debunked by somebody. Maybe he used the power ofsuggestion. Who knows?

Patricia: And maybe you’re just jaded.

Sergio: And maybe you’re the most gullible person who ever lived!

[end of dialogue]

It wasn’t just an illusion. Today’s script really was written by Dr. Lucy Tse. Thankyou, Lucy.

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