2009年ESL之就医和人际交往12 Buying Glasses

12 Buying Glasses 

GLOSSARY 

sunglasses – glasses that are worn to protect one’s eyes from bright sunshine 

and other strong lights 

* Do you know where my sunglasses are? It’s really bright outside and I can’t 

see anything. 

frames – the metal or plastic part that wraps around one’s ears and over one’s 

nose, used to hold clear glass or plastic in front of one’s eyes to correct one’s 

vision 

* Luca liked the purple frames, but she didn’t get them because she didn’t think 

they looked very professional. 

bifocals – glasses where the clear glass or plastic part has two sections with a 

small line in between, where the top section helps onesee things that are far 

away and the bottom section helps one see things that areclose 

* If I didn’t have bifocals, I’d have to put on a different pair of glasses every time I 

wanted to read something, and then another pair every time I wanted to look at 

something further away. 

progressives – glasses that have two or three sections, where the top section 

helps one see things that are far away, the middle section helps one see things 

at medium distance, and the bottom section helps one seethings that are close, 

but there is no line in between the sections 

* Meghan wants to get progressives, because she thinks bifocals are only for old 

people. 

metal – a hard, usually heavy material like iron, steel, silver, gold, aluminum, 

nickel, or copper 

* Which kind of metal do you want for your wedding ring? Gold or platinum? 

plastic – a strong material, either hard or soft, made through a chemical process 

using petroleum 

* She doesn’t want to buy any plastic toys for her children, because she prefers 

wooden and cloth toys. 

rimless – without rims; without edges; glasses that have very little plastic or 

metal, so they are not very noticeable 

* Chuck hopes his new rimless glasses make it look like he isn’t wearing glasses 

at all. 

optician – a person whose job is to make glasses and help people see 

* First, make an appointment with an optometrist to figure out what’s wrong with 

your vision, and then ask an optician to help you find the right pair of glasses. 

prescription – a piece of paper where a doctor writes down what kind of 

medicine, or glasses or contact lenses a person needs 

* Vanessa’s doctor gave her a prescription for antibiotics. 

hinge – the small piece of metal that connects two larger pieces of wood, plastic, 

or metal, letting them move toward and away from eachother, such as for a door 

or lid to close 

* When the screw fell out of the hinge on his glasses, hetemporarily fixed them 

with tape. 

there’s no accounting for taste – a phrase used to show that one does not 

approve of another person’s choice in style or fashion, meaning that there is no 

way to explain why people like certain things while otherpeople dislike them 

* Our neighbors decided to paint their home bright orange and green. We think 

it’s really ugly, but they love it. There’s no accounting for taste. 

lens – one of the clear glass or plastic pieces used in glasses or in a camera to 

change the way in which one’s eyes focus on something 

* Melvin got a headache when he tried to look though his nephew’s lenses, 

because they were too strong for his vision. 

glare – the bright light that is reflected off of a piece of glass or plastic 

* They have a lot of framed photographs on their livingroom walls, but the glare 

when the sun is shining makes it almost impossible to see them. 

to darken – to become darker; to begin to have a darker color; to have less light 

* The painter darkened the red color by adding a little more black paint. 

anti-scratch coating – a thin, invisible layer that goes on top of a piece of glass 

or plastic to protect it from getting small lines if something sharp moves against it 

* I wish this watch had an anti-scratch coating. There are so many scratches and 

lines on it that it’s hard to see what time it is. 

backup pair – an extra pair of glasses that one can use if one’s regularglasses 

are broken or lost 

* Don’t forget to pack your backup pair of glasses, becauseI don’t want to spend 

our vacation time looking for a new pair of glasses if your old pair breaks! 

designer – with a well-known, expensive brand name 

* These designer jeans cost almost 10 times as much as the other jeans in the 

store. 

to tag along – to follow someone somewhere; to go somewhere with another 

person when one isn’t really needed there 

* Jacques’s little brother wants to tag along everywhere he goes. 

______________ 

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 

1. Where might you find hinges? 

a) On the frames. 

b) On the prescription. 

c) On the lenses. 

2. Which lenses could take the place of sunglasses? 

a) Lenses that reduce glare. 

b) Lenses that darken automatically. 

c) Lenses that have anti-scratch coating. 

______________ 

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? 

progressives 

The word “progressives,” in this podcast, is used to describe glasses that have 

two or three sections, where the top section helps one seethings that are far 

away, the middle section helps one see things at medium distance, and the 

bottom section helps one see things that are close, butthere is no line in 

between the sections: “Are progressives more expensive than bifocals?” The 

word “progressive” is also used to describe something that is changing or 

growing over time: “The progressive increase in the size of the population will 

continue to strain the country’s health care system.” “Progressive taxes” are 

taxes where people with more money pay a higher percentage than people with 

less money do: “The United States has a progressive tax system,with rich 

people paying more than poor people.” A person or thing that is “progressive” 

supports new ideas and changes that will make things better: “Will you send your 

children to a regular school, or one of the new progressive schools?” 

hinge 

In this podcast, the word “hinge” means the small pieceof metal that connects 

two larger pieces of wood, plastic, or metal, letting them move toward and away 

from each other, such as for a door or lid to close: “Please put some oil on the 

hinge so the door to the baby’s room isn’t so noisy.” A “hinged lid” is a lid that 

can be opened and closed, but not separated from the box or container, because 

it is attached on one side: “Their mailbox has a hingedlid.” The phrase “to hinge 

on (something)” means to depend on something: “Our ability to buy that home 

hinges on whether we can get a good loan.” Or, “The health of millions of people 

hinges on whether we can find a cure for AIDS.” 

______________ 

CULTURE NOTE 

It is “pretty common” (not unusual) to see people wearing glasses and 

sunglasses, but there are some other types of “eyewear” (something that is worn 

over the eyes) that might “make you take a second look” (look at something 

again, more closely, because it is unusual or surprising). 

Swimmers wear “goggles,” which are like small glasses, except that there is 

plastic around each lens that reaches to the swimmer’s face. Goggles “prevent” 

(don’t allow) water from touching the swimmer’s eyes, so that he or she can see 

things while underwater. 

Many people who work in “construction” (making new buildings), “carpentry” 

(making things out of wood), and other fields where dangerous machines are 

used often wear “safety glasses,” which are large glasses that protect not only 

the front of the eye, but also the top, bottom, and sides. If a small piece of wood 

or some chemical comes toward the eye, it is stopped by thesafety glasses 

before it can cause damage. 

“3-D glasses,” or “three-dimensional glasses” are often made out of heavy paper, 

with one plastic blue lens and one plastic red lens. These glasses are used to 

watch 3-D television or movies. The images are filmed ina special way, so that 

when one is wearing 3-D glasses, it looks as if the images are coming out of the 

screen toward oneself. 

Finally, an “eye patch” is a small piece of black fabric that is attached to a black 

string. The string is tied around one’s head so that the fabric hangs over one 

eye. People might use eye patches when they have a medical problem that 

doesn’t let them use one eye, or when they have only oneeye. 

______________ 

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 501: Buying 

Glasses. 

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 501.  I’m your host, Dr. 

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in 

beautiful Los Angeles, California. 

Our website is eslpod.com. Go there to download a Learning Guide for this 

episode, an 8- to 10-page guide that contains all of the vocabulary, definitions, 

sample sentences, additional definitions, comprehension questions, cultural 

notes, and a complete transcript of this episode. 

This episode is called “Buying Glasses.” We’re going to listen to a dialogue 

between Alice and Pierre talking about someone who needs to buy some 

eyeglasses. Let’s get started. 

[start of dialogue] 

Alice: Ooh, look at these! Don’t I look great? I’ve always wanted sunglasses 

like these. 

Pierre: You’re supposed to be here helping me pick out frames for my new 

bifocals. 

Alice: I don’t know why you won’t get progressives. That’s what everybody is 

getting these days. 

Pierre: I’ve always had bifocals and that’s what I’m going to get. 

Alice: Are you going to get metal, plastic, or rimless frames? 

Pierre: I’m not sure. The optician said that with my prescription, I could get any 

kind. 

Alice: Okay, try these. How do they feel? 

Pierre: I like the way the hinges move, but they’re too small for my head. Hey, 

these are nice. I think I’ll go with these. 

Alice: There’s no accounting for taste! Okay, but what about the lenses? There 

are so many options. You can get ones that reduce glare,ones that darken 

automatically, ones with anti-scratch coating… 

Pierre: I want to keep it nice and simple. I don’t want any of those options. 

Alice: How about these for a backup pair? They’re designer frames. 

Pierre: Give me those. I should have known better than to let you tag along. 

What was I thinking?! 

[end of dialogue] 

Alice says to Pierre, “Ooh, look at these! Don’t I look great? I’ve always wanted 

sunglasses like these.” “Don’t I look great?” of course, means I look great in 

these, don’t I, asking for the other person to agree.  Alice says that she’s always 

wanted sunglasses like these. “Sunglasses” are glasses we use to protect our 

eyes from very bright sunshine. 

Pierre says, “You’re supposed to be here helping me pick out frames for my new 

bifocals.” Pierre is saying that Alice is supposed to be helping him pick out 

frames. “Frames” are the metal or plastic part of yourglasses that hold in what 

we call the “lenses,” the things that you see through, made of glass or plastic. 

The frames can be metal or plastic, and they go behind your ear so that they stay 

up – so that they stay in place. 

Pierre needs to get bifocals. “Bifocals” are glasses that have two sections with a 

small line separating them. The largest section is for seeing distance; that is, 

seeing things that are far away. And, bifocals typically have reading glasses, or 

a reading section in the glasses. That’s a smaller section of the lens which you 

use to read. So, you can have one pair of glasses to do two different things. 

“Bi,” of course, means two. I have bifocals, so I can see far, when I’m driving for 

example, and I also can see close up when I’m reading. 

Alice says to Pierre, “I don’t know why you won’t get progressives.” 

“Progressives” is a special kind of glasses that have two or three sections. There 

is a section on the top that helps you see far away, a section in the middle of the 

lens that helps you see a medium distance – not too far, not too close, and then 

there’s a section that helps you see things close, for example when you’re 

reading. The difference is that progressives don’t have a little line that separates 

the different parts of the lens, whereas a bifocal would. “Progressive” has a 

couple of different meanings in English; take a look at our Learning Guide for 

some additional explanations. 

Alice says, “everybody is getting progressives these days (nowadays).” Pierre 

says, “I’ve always had bifocals and that’s what I’m going to get.” Alice asks him, 

“Are you going to get metal, plastic, or rimless frames?” “Metal” is something 

that is hard; a material made of iron, steel, aluminum, those would all be metals. 

Silver, gold, and nickel are also metals. “Plastic” is a strong material that is made 

by taking petroleum (oil) and making it into a hard object. “Rimless glasses” are 

glasses that don’t have any edges. The lens – remember the lens is the part of 

the glasses that you see out of – that you look out of –they are attached to the 

frames, but there is not any plastic or metal around theactual glass or plastic 

lenses, so it looks like you just have these two lenses sittingin front of your eyes. 

The “rim” (rim) of the glasses are the parts that go around the lens – the edge of 

the lenses. “Rimless” would be without a rim, and that’s what rimless glasses 

are. 

Well, Pierre says, “I’m not sure. The optician said thatwith my prescription, I 

could get any kind (I could get frames that are metal, plastic, or rimless).” The 

“optician” is the person who makes the glasses, puts the glasses together, and 

helps people put on the glasses. Usually if you are going to have your eyes 

checked, you go to a doctor called an “optometrist,” but if you are just buying 

glasses, then you would go to an optician. The optician is not a doctor; it is a 

person who knows about how glasses are made and helps you select a pair and 

put them on your face. When you have your eyes examined by the optometrist 

and they determine you need glasses, you are given something called a 

“prescription,” which is a piece of paper where the doctor writes down what kind 

of glasses you need. We use that same word if a doctor is giving you some sort 

of drug; they would write down the name of the medicine. That’s your 

“prescription,” it’s the piece of paper that has that information, usually with the 

doctor’s signature, that you then bring in order to get your glasses or your drugs. 

Alice says, “Okay, try these. How do they feel?” Pierre says, “I like the way the 

hinges move, but they’re too small for my head.” A “hinge” (hinge) is a small 

piece of metal that connects two larger pieces of wood,plastic, or metal. If you 

have a door in your house, there are at least two hinges. The door opens and 

closes, but there’s a metal plate that connects the door to the wall, and that 

allows you to open the door. So the hinge opens and closes; it’s flexible. Your 

glasses have hinges – if you have glasses – that connect the lens part of the 

glasses – the lens part of the frame with the pieces of the frame that go on either 

side of your head and behind your ears. So, Pierre likes the hinges on the pair of 

glasses that Alice showed him, but he says they’re too smallfor his head. 

Obviously, he has a very big head! “Hinge” has a couple ofmeanings in English; 

take a look at our Learning Guide for some additional explanations. 

Pierre says, “Hey, these are nice. I’ll go with these,” meaning I’ll select these. 

Alice says, “There’s no accounting for taste!” The expression“there’s no 

accounting for taste” is used to show that you don’t likeanother person’s choice 

of style or fashion. To say “there’s no accounting for” means there’s no way to 

explain. So, everyone has different tastes – a differentsense of style and 

fashion. 

Alice doesn’t like Pierre’s taste; she obviously doesn’t like the pair of glasses that 

Pierre is trying on. Alice says, “Okay, but what about thelenses?” the clear, 

plastic, or glass pieces that you see through. You also call that clear piece of 

plastic or glass in a camera a lens. Alice says, “There areso many options. You 

can get lenses that reduce glare, ones that darken automatically, ones with antiscratch coating.” “Glare” (glare) is a bright light that is reflected off of a piece of 

glass or plastic. If you have glasses that reduce glare – they make it less, that 

means you won’t have that problem with the bright like reflecting off the glass or 

the plastic. It’s also possible to get lenses that darken automatically, so instead 

of having a pair of glasses that you use inside the house and another pair of 

sunglasses that you use outside, you can get lenses that willautomatically 

darken when you go outside into the light. I had thesefor a few years when I 

was in high school, but they were rather inconvenient because it takes a while for 

the lenses to darken and to brighten up – to un-darken, so they weren’t very 

convenient in my opinion. Lenses can also have anti-scratch coating. A 

“scratch” is when you make a mark on a piece of glass or plastic that you don’t 

want; you can also scratch, for example the back of a watch or the front of a 

watch. “Coating” is something that goes over something else, usually to protect 

it. So, “anti-scratch coating” is a special chemical they put over the glass – over 

the lenses that prevents it from getting scratched. 

Pierre says however, “I want to keep it nice and simple,” meaning very simple. “I 

don’t want any of those options.” Alice says, “How about these for a backup 

pair? They’re designer frames.” Something that “backs up” something else is 

something that you use in case the first thing doesn’t work or the first thing 

doesn’t operate properly. If you have a computer, you should also have another 

external disk drive or some sort of online service that backs up your files. Notice 

it can be used as a verb as well: “to backup.” I back upmy files every day on an 

external hard drive. “Backup pair” refers to a pair of glasses that you use in case 

your first ones break or you have a problem with them. 

Alice is looking at a pair of designer frames. “Designer” means that they are 

made by a company; they’re usually of a certain style or shape and they’re 

usually more expensive. So if you buy a dress made and designed by Versace, 

for example, or you buy something made by Prada, these are designer products; 

they are things that have a very special and unique sort of design to them. 

Pierre says, “Give me those. I should have known better than to let you tag 

along. What was I thinking?!” “To tag” (tag) – some would pronounce it “tag,” 

but in my Minnesota accent it’s “tag” – “to tag along” means to go with someone 

somewhere they’re going even though you are not invitedinitially or the person is 

going even if you don’t go with them. So, if your older brother is going to the 

movies you may say, “Can I tag along?” meaning can I go with you, you didn’t 

invite me but I’d like to go. In this case, Alice tags along with Pierre to buy some 

glasses. Pierre is wishing that he never invited her to come with him. 

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

[start of dialogue] 

Alice: Ooh, look at these! Don’t I look great? I’ve always wanted sunglasses 

like these. 

Pierre: You’re supposed to be here helping me pick out frames for my new 

bifocals. 

Alice: I don’t know why you won’t get progressives. That’s what everybody is 

getting these days. 

Pierre: I’ve always had bifocals and that’s what I’m going to get. 

Alice: Are you going to get metal, plastic, or rimless frames? 

Pierre: I’m not sure. The optician said that with my prescription, I could get any 

kind. 

Alice: Okay, try these. How do they feel? 

Pierre: I like the way the hinges move, but they’re too small for my head. Hey, 

these are nice. I think I’ll go with these. 

Alice: There’s no accounting for taste! Okay, but what about the lenses? 

There’s so many options. You can get ones that reduce glare, ones that darken 

automatically, ones with anti-scratch coating… 

Pierre: I want to keep it nice and simple. I don’t want any of those options. 

Alice: How about these for a backup pair? They’re designer frames. 

Pierre: Give me those. I should have known better than to let you tag along. 

What was I thinking?! 

[end of dialogue] 

We don’t have a backup scriptwriter; we have only the wonderful Dr. Lucy Tse, 

who wrote this script. 

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come 

back 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 2009 by the Centerfor Educational 

Development.