2010年ESL之旅行交通购物 05 Applying for a Passport

05 Applying for a Passport

GLOSSARY

passport – a small official book, issued by a national government, that allows aperson to travel to other countries and return to one’s own country

* Mojo likes to look at all of the stamps in his passport to remember the placeswhere he has traveled.

application – a form that requests information, used when one wants to have orget something, or wants to join or participate in something

* How long does it take to fill out the application for a driver’s license?

social security number – a unique nine-digit number in the form of ###-##-####, given to U.S. citizens and people who have legal permission to live in theU.S.

* Please write your social security number on the top of each page in your taxreturn.

evidence – proof; a written document that supports what one has said or claimed

* After Terese got married, she carried around a copy of her marriage certificateas evidence that her last name had been changed.

citizenship – belonging legally to a particular country

* When an American gives birth to a child in another country, that child has dualcitizenship, meaning that he or she is an American citizen and a citizen of theother country at the same time.

to submit – to officially give or send something to a person or organization,especially when that person or organization will review and/or approve it

* Please submit any comments or suggestions to the manager.

birth certificate – an official piece of paper that states one’s full name, when andwhere one was born, and the names of one’s parents.

* When Marguerite looked at her birth certificate, she was shocked to realize thatshe had been born before her parents were married.

naturalization certificate – an official piece of paper showing when one becamea U.S. citizen

* Zola was very proud to become a U.S. citizen, so she hung her naturalizationcertificate in her living room where everyone could see it.

Consular Report of Birth Abroad – an official piece of paper stating that anindividual was born outside of the United States and that one or both of his or herparents is a U.S. citizen

* Kati has a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, because she was born in Mongoliawhile her American parents were working at the U.S. Embassy there.

document – an official piece of paper that provides information about something

* When you travel, make sure you keep all your documents safe, including yourpassport, your itinerary, and a list of the vaccinations you’ve received.

identification / ID – documents that prove who someone is, listing the person’sfull name and often a photograph and information about his or her age andphysical appearance

* The bank requires at least two pieces of identification before it will cashanyone’s check.

valid driver’s license – a small card that shows one has permission to drive in aparticular state

* It is illegal to drive without a valid driver’s license.

military – related to the armed forces, navy, army, air force, and marines and thepeople who work and serve in those organizations

* How many of this year’s high school graduates are choosing to go into militaryservice?

passport photo – a small photograph of a person’s head, with a specific lengthand width, used for the photograph in one’s passport

* You can’t use this as a passport photo, because you weren’t looking directly atthe camera.

identical – exactly the same, without any differences

* The sisters’ voices sound identical over the phone, so I never know which girlI’m speaking with.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Where does Orlando need to write his social security number?

a) On his passport.

b) On his application.

c) On his birth certificate.

2. What is a passport photo?

a) A photo of a person holding a passport.

b) A photo of where a person has traveled with a passport.

c) A photo of the person who owns the passport.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to submit

The verb “to submit,” in this podcast, means to officially give or send somethingto a person or organization, especially when that person or organization willreview and/or approve it: “We’re supposed to submit our essays to the professorby email by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.” The verb “to submit” also means to acceptthe authority and power of another person or organization over oneself: “Do youbelieve that modern women should submit themselves to their husband as in thepast, or should they be more independent now?” Or, “Lou doesn’t want to submitto the authorities in any way, so he refuses to pay taxes.” In a court of law,lawyers “submit evidence,” or present arguments, documents, videos, and tapesthat help them argue their side of the case: “The lawyers submitted a lot ofevidence to show that the man was guilty.”

document

In this podcast, the word “document” means an official piece of paper thatprovides information about something: “Please send us your university diplomaor another document that proves you studied there.” A “document” can also bean electronic computer file: “How can I open a new Word document?” Or, “Try tosave the changes to your document at least every 10 minutes.” As a verb, “todocument” means to write down information about something so that it isn’tforgotten: “All the current employees were asked to document their workprocesses so that it would be easier for new employees to learn how to do theirjob.” Something that is “documented” has been written down with many details:

“The development of nuclear power is well documented.”

CULTURE NOTE

The U.S. “Department of State” (the part of the U.S. government involved ininternational relations) “issues” (creates and shares) travel “advisories”

(information and recommendations) for U.S. citizens who are consideringtraveling to other countries. It issues two types of travel advisories: Travel Alertsand Travel Warnings.

A “Travel Alert” is used to share information about short-term conditions that may“pose” (present) “risks” (things that may cause hurt, damage, or death if theyhappen) to U.S. citizens in the area. Travel Alerts might describe importantconferences or sporting events, “demonstrations” (protests), elections, terroristactivity, and “natural disasters” (earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, etc.). Right now,many of the Travel Alerts are about “swine flu” (H1N1) and the “quarantinemeasures” (efforts to separate sick people from healthy people) that somecountries are “engaged” (involved) in.

A “Travel Warning” is used to share information about long-term conditions thatmake it dangerous for Americans to be in a country. Travel Warnings are usedwhen the “embassy” or “consulate” (official government presence in anothercountry) is closed or has limited staff. When this happens, U.S. citizens in thatcountry will not receive very much assistance from the government if somethingbad happens to them.

The Department of State also offers country-specific information to help U.S.

citizens learn more about the country they will be traveling to. This informationincludes the location of the U.S. sembassy or consulate, “visa requirements”

(documents needed to enter a country), local health, and “vaccination” (injectionsto prevent diseases) recommendations, as well as information about local crime.

______________

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 557: Applying for aPassport.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 557. 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 today to support this podcast by becominga member, which allows you to download an 8- to 10-page Learning Guide for allof our current episodes.

This episode is called “Applying for a Passport.” It’s a dialogue between Orlandoand someone at the passport office. It’s going to be using a lot of vocabularyrelated to getting a passport, at least here in the United States. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Clerk: Yes, can I help you?

Orlando: I want to get a passport.

Clerk: Have you filled out the application?

Orlando: No, I haven’t.

Clerk: Come back when you’ve filled it out.

Orlando: Okay, I’ve completed the application.

Clerk: Let me see it. You need to fill in your Social Security number here andyou need to provide evidence of your citizenship. Have you ever had a passportbefore?

Orlando: No, I haven’t.

Clerk: In that case, you’ll need to submit a copy of your birth certificate, or if youwere born outside of the country, a copy of your Naturalization Certificate or aConsular Report of Birth Abroad.

Orlando: I don’t have those documents with me.

Clerk: Come back when you do.

Orlando: Okay, I’m back. I have a copy of my birth certificate.

Clerk: All right. Let me see some identification.

Orlando: Identification?

Clerk: Yes, I need to see a valid driver’s license, a government ID, or a militaryID.

Orlando: I’ll be right back.

Clerk: Yes?

Orlando: Here’s my military ID.

Clerk: Where are you passport photos?

Orlando: Passport photos?

Clerk: Yes, you need two identical passport photos.

Orlando: I’ll be right back.

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with the clerk, the person who is working at the passportoffice, saying to Orlando, “Yes, can I help you?” “Can I help you?” or “May I helpyou?” mean the same thing. I should also point out that although you can get apassport by going to the U.S. government passport office, most people get theirpassports at the Post Office; that’s where you submit your application.

Orlando says, “I want to get a passport,” which you probably know is a small,official book that is given to you by your government that allows you to travel toother countries. The clerk says, “Have you filled out (have you completed) theapplication (the form that requests all the information about you)?” Orlando says,“No, I haven’t.” The clerk says, “Come back when you’ve filled it out (whenyou’ve completed it).”

So Orlando goes away, he comes back, and he says, “Okay, I’ve completed theapplication.” The clerk says, “Let me see it,” please allow me to look at it – theclerk isn’t actually that polite. She says, “You need to fill in (to write in) yourSocial Security number here.” The “Social Security number” is a number thatpretty much everyone in the United States has, issued by the government – thegovernment gives you this number. Usually you get the number when you are ayoung child, or even a baby. It identifies you. It is a number that is typically onlygiven to people who have legal permission to be here in the United States.

Social Security is also the name of a program that provides money for those whoneed money to live on, especially those who are old. It’s sort of like our nationalretirement system – except they don’t have very much money! The SocialSecurity number, then, is one thing that you have to put on almost every officialapplication that you fill out in the U.S.

The clerk tells Orlando he also needs evidence of his citizenship. “Evidence,”

here, means the same as proof; evidence would be a written document thatsupports what you are saying. In this case, Orlando is saying “I am a U.S.

citizen,” and the clerk is telling him he has to prove that – he has to show that.

“Citizenship” means, of course, belonging to a particular country. Some peoplehave dual citizenship; they are citizens of more than one country – two countriesif it’s dual citizenship. I suppose you could have citizenship in more than twocountries, it would be a little unusualOrlando is asked if he has ever had a passport before. Passports in the UnitedStates are typically issued, or given to you, and they are good for 10 years; every10 years you have to get a new passport. Orlando says, “No, I haven’t (I haven’thad a passport before).” The clerk says, “In that case (in this situation), you’llneed to submit a copy of your birth certificate.” “To submit” (submit) means toofficially give or send something to someone or to some organization, especiallyif that organization has to review or approve whatever it is that you are sendingin. So for example, you could submit a job application. You could give thecompany an application, they would look at it and see if they want to hire you – tohave you work for them. The word “submit” has a couple of different meanings inEnglish; take a look at the Learning Guide for some more explanations.

Well, the clerk is asking Orlando for his “birth certificate.” This is an official pieceof paper that shows your complete name, when and where you were born, whoyour parents are, and typically the name of the hospital, although that isn’talways on the birth certificate. Every state has its own birth certificate system;there is not a national birth certificate system in the U.S. If I wanted to get mybirth certificate I would have to go back, or write – nowadays email – theMinnesota government office that takes care of birth certificates. Within a given state, mostly the birth certificates are arranged by county. A “county” is a smallerdivision within state. Minnesota, for example, has 87 counties – 87 differentregions. In fact, it has more counties than any other state in the United States forsome reason. I would have to go back to the county I was born in, RamseyCounty, which is where St. Paul is, and ask for a copy of my birth certificate.

I actually did that when I was…I don’t know…12 years old maybe, and wediscovered – I discovered that my parents had not officially put a name in for meon the birth certificate. They hadn’t decided what they were going to call me.

Remember, I’m the youngest of 11 children, so they had sort of gone through allof the names that they wanted. Well, because they didn’t know my name by thetime my mother left the hospital, the birth certificate simply said “Baby BoyMcQuillan.” I had to then officially prove to the county that my legal name wasJeffrey – that’s my full name, and I had to provide them evidence that I haveused this name all of my life. But for the first 12 years of my existence on thisearth I was officially known as Baby Boy McQuillan, which is actually a goodname since I was the youngest in the family, and we often call the youngest inthe family the baby of the family – even if they’re 46 years old! I’m still the babyof the family.

Back to Orlando: Orlando has to get a birth certificate, or if he was born outsideof the United States he needs a copy of either his Naturalization Certificate orsomething called a Consular Report of Birth Abroad. A “NaturalizationCertificate” is an official piece of paper showing that you were once a citizen ofanother country, but then you became a U.S. citizen. So if you move here after20 years of living in, say, Japan or France or South Africa – wherever, and youwant to become a U.S. citizen you have to get what is called “naturalized.” Youbecome a citizen, and that process is called “naturalization.” So, a“Naturalization Certificate” is a certificate proving that you officially became aU.S. citizen on this particular day; it’s not your birth certificate. If you have anAmerican mother or father, or both, and you are born in another country you’restill an American citizen. However, because you will not have a birth certificatefrom a U.S. hospital you need to go to the local embassy or consulate and get aConsular Report of Birth Abroad. An “embassy” is the main headquarters ofrepresentatives from your government in another country. Usually theembassies are in the capital cities of the other countries; here in the UnitedStates, they would be in Washington, D.C. Many governments also have smalloffices called “consulates” that are in other cities in the United States or in adifferent country. So for example, here in Los Angeles there is a consulate forthe government of Mexico, a consulate for China, a consulate for Spain. Dozensof other countries have consulates in big U.S. cities, especially cities that mayhave a lot of citizens from their country. The U.S. has consulates in other cities, in addition to embassies, in other countries. A “consular,” then, refers to thenotion of a representative; “consul,” here, is more generally a representative ofyour government. Consular Report of Birth Aboad; “abroad” simply means inanother country. So it’s sort of like a birth certificate but it comes from the U.S.

State Department, from either an embassy or a consulate, that shows that youare, in fact, an American citizen.

Well, Orlando says he doesn’t have any of these things. He says, “I don’t havethose documents (those official pieces of paper) with me.” A “document” canmean a couple of different things. Once again, take a look at the Learning Guidefor some more explanations. So the clerk says to Orlando, “Come back whenyou do,” meaning come back here when you have one of these officialdocuments. So he goes, and comes back again and gives his birth certificate tothe clerk. The clerk then says, “Let me see some identification (let me seesomething that proves that you are who you are).” Usually that means either avalid driver’s license, a government ID, or a military ID. A “driver’s license” isissued, or given, by each state, that says you have permission to drive in thatstate, and in any other state, but you need at least one driver’s license from onestate. A “valid” driver’s license just means a driver’s license that is current, thatwas issued recently. A “government ID” is identification that is given by thegovernment, perhaps another government agency besides the state where youlive. A “military ID (or identification)” is a card that says you are a member of theArmy, the Navy, the Air Force, or the Marines, and that you work in thatorganization.

So Orlando has to leave again, he comes back, he says, “Here’s my military ID.”

The clerk then asks, “Where are you passport photos?” In order to get apassport you have to have two pictures taken of yourself, and you need to bringthem and give them with your application to the government representative inorder to get a passport. Passport photos are very small, and are just of yourhead. Well of course, Orlando doesn’t have the passport photos. The clerksays, “Yes, you’ll need two identical (or the same) photographs.” Orlando says,“I’ll be right back,” and leaves again.

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

[start of dialogue]

Clerk: Yes, can I help you?

Orlando: I want to get a passport.

Clerk: Have you filled out the application?

Orlando: No, I haven’t.

Clerk: Come back when you’ve filled it out.

Orlando: Okay, I’ve completed the application.

Clerk: Let me see it. You need to fill in your Social Security number here andyou need to provide evidence of your citizenship. Have you ever had a passportbefore?

Orlando: No, I haven’t.

Clerk: In that case, you’ll need to submit a copy of your birth certificate, or if youwere born outside of the country, a copy of your Naturalization Certificate or aConsular Report of Birth Abroad.

Orlando: I don’t have those documents with me.

Clerk: Come back when you do.

Orlando: Okay, I’m back. I have a copy of my birth certificate.

Clerk: All right. Let me see some identification.

Orlando: Identification?

Clerk: Yes, I need to see a valid driver’s license, a government ID, or a militaryID.

Orlando: I’ll be right back.

Clerk: Yes?

Orlando: Here’s my military ID.

Clerk: Where are you passport photos?

Orlando: Passport photos?

Clerk: Yes, you need two identical passport photos.

Orlando: I’ll be right back.

[end of dialogue]

The script for this episode was written by an American citizen, who has a validdriver’s license, Dr. Lucy Tse.

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.