2008年ESL之日常生活 08 Using the Telephone

08 Using the Telephone

GLOSSARY 1

power outage – a failure in the electricity system, leaving users withoutelectricity for a period of time* The windstorm caused a power outage last night.

phone number – the series of seven or ten numbers that must be dialed to callsomeone (three numbers for the area code and seven numbers for the phonenumber itself)* I gave him my phone number when we met last weekend, but he still hasn’tcalled.

offhand 2 – without needing to look for something or think about it for a long time;without difficulty; right away; immediately* I can’t find those papers offhand, but if you can give me a few minutes I’m sureI’ll be able to find them.

address book – a small book where one writes other people’s names,addresses, and telephone numbers* I used to have an address book, but now I keep all the data on my computerinstead.

phone book – a large book that lists people’s and businesses’ names and phonenumbers in a particular area, given to the customers of a phone company for free* The phone book has two sections: the white pages, which list phone numbers alphabetically 3 by name, and the yellow pages, which group businesses by type.

to program (something) into (something) – to save data in a cell phone orsimilar electronic device* I programmed my doctor’s phone number into my cell phone so that I always have it with me in case of an emergency.

speed dial – a technology that allows you to automatically dial all seven or tennumbers of a phone number by pressing just one single number* My home phone has speed dial, so I just press “1” to call my wife, “2” to call theoffice, and “3” to call my parents.

battery – a small device that stores electricity, so that electronics do not have tobe plugged into the wall* This laptop computer has a battery, but it only lasts for about 40 minutes beforeit needs to be recharged.

landline – a traditional phone that is connected to a home or office; not a cellphone; not a mobile device* As cell phones are becoming less expensive, many people are consideringhaving only a cell phone and getting rid of their landline.

directory assistance – a service offered by a phone company where a personor computer system will help one find a phone number for a person or business,often for a small fee* When they needed to know John Smith’s phone number, they called directory assistance, but his name was too common. More than 40 John Smiths are listedin the city, and they didn’t know which one to call!

operator – a phone company employee who provides phone numbers and otherinformation to people who call, and can transfer calls to other numbers* I called the operator to ask for assistance in making an international call.

area code – the first three digits 4 of a full ten-digit telephone number in the UnitedStates, usually put in parentheses 5 (###), designating a geographic 6 area* People who work in Washington, DC often dial three area codes: (202) for DC,(301) for Maryland, and (703) for Virginia.

dial tone – the constant musical note that one hears when one picks up thephone, indicating that one may start typing the numbers one wishes to call* In this office building, you need to dial a 9 to get an external dial tone.

Otherwise, you can make only internal calls.

earpiece – the part of a phone that noise comes out of and should be placednext to one’s ear* Yvonne speaks very loudly when she talks on the phone, so I usually hold theearpiece away from my ear when I speak with her.

mouthpiece – the part of a phone that one speaks into and should be placednear one’s mouth* I can’t hear you very well. Could you please hold the mouthpiece closer to yourmouth?

keypad – the 12 buttons on a telephone, with the numbers from 0-9, the asterisk 7 (*), and the pound sign (#)* Are you able to type numbers on a keypad without looking?

not a moment too soon – a phrase used to show that one is very happy andrelieved that something has finally happened, because one couldn’t wait any longer* Randy finally returned from his business trip, and not a moment too soon!  His wife was getting very tired of taking care of the kids by herself.

______________COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1.  Where might you program a phone number?

a)  In an address book.

b)  In a phone book.

c)  In a cell phone.

2.  Where does the dial tone come from?

a)  The earpiece.

b)  The mouthpiece.

c)  The keypad.

______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

offhandThe word “offhand,” in this podcast, means without needing to look for somethingor think about it for a long time: “Offhand, I think we had sales of $400,000 lastyear, but I can look it up if you want a more exact figure.”  The word “offhand”

can also be used to talk about something that one says or does without thinkingabout it or planning it, especially if it is offensive: “Without thinking, she made anoffhand comment about his baldness, and he was very upset by it.”  The phrase“hands-off” means without one’s active participation 8: “Many Republicans believethat the government should have hands-off policies toward business, notregulating them too much.”  In contrast, “hands-on” means with activeparticipation: “He has a hands-on approach to teaching, always interactingclosely with his students.”

batteryIn this podcast, the word “battery” means a small device that stores electricity, sothat electronics do not have to be plugged into the wall: “We plan to take lots ofpictures, so we need to bring extra batteries for the camera.”  A “battery” can alsobe a group of things: “When Mariah got sick, the doctors asked her to give a blood sample for a battery of medical tests.”  The phrase “assault and battery”

refers to the crime of physically 9 hitting someone: “He went to jail for three years for assault and battery against his boss.”  Finally, the phrase “to recharge (one’s)batteries” means to relax for a period of time in order to have more energy: “Why don’t you go on vacation somewhere and recharge your batteries for a week orso?”

______________CULTURE NOTEIn most parts of the United States, you can make a “local” (nearby, not far away)call by dialing only seven numbers. Local calls are free and “unlimited” (without amaximum number of something) with any basic “calling plan” (the combination ofservices that you pay the phone company for).  If you stay in a hotel, however, besure to ask before making local calls.  Some hotels charge for local calls orcharges another fee for any phone calls.

If you wish to call someone farther away, you will need to make a “long-distance”

(not local) call.  You do so by dialing a “1” to indicate that you are making a longdistance call.  Then you dial the three-“digit” (number) area code and then theregular seven-digit telephone number.  Years ago, many states only had onearea code and most long-distance calls were made “out-or-state” (outside of thestate where one is) or out of the country.  Today, most states have severaldifferent area codes, and in larger cities like Los Angeles, there are many different area codes within the same city.

Large cities sometimes have an “overlay plan,” through which the telephonecompany introduces a new area code in an area where there is already morethan one area code.  Rather than “partition” (separate geographically) an areaand give a new area code to one section of a city, the phone company gives thenew area code for all new phone numbers.  In an overlay district, you always need to dial the area code, even if you are making a local call within the samecity.  For example, in Los Angeles, people need to dial the full ten-digit phonenumber (the area code plus the seven-digit telephone number) whenever they make a call.

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 363: Using theTelephone.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode three-six-three (363). I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from beautiful Los Angeles,California, and the Center for Educational Development.

To learn more about this podcast and to download a Learning Guide for this episode, go to our website at eslpod.com.

This episode is called “Using the Telephone.”  We are going to talk about somecommon vocabulary related to the telephone.  Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Charles:  I don’t know how long this power outage is going to last.  Do you think we should call Elizabeth to tell her we’ll be late for dinner?

Jane:  That’s a good idea.  Do you know her phone number offhand?

Charles:  No, I don’t, and I can’t look it up in my address book or in the phonebook without any lights.  Oh, wait.  I have it programmed into my cell phone.  Ishould be able to use speed dial to call her.  Oh, no.

Jane:  What’s the matter?

Charles:  My cell phone battery is dead. Jane:  Maybe we can use the landline to call directory assistance.  The operatorshould be able to give us her number.

Charles:  I doubt it.  There must be more than one Elizabeth Bennett in our areacode. Jane:  You’re probably right, but I’ll try anyway.  Where’s the phone?  Oh, here itis.  Why aren’t I getting a dial tone? Charles:  Try listening through the earpiece instead of the mouthpiece.

Jane:  Oh, right.  How do I dial 411 if I can’t see the keypad?

Charles:  Hey, the power is back on!

Jane:  Not a moment too soon!

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue between Charles and Jane begins by Charles saying, “I don’t knowhow long this power outage is going to last.”  A “power outage” is when there’s afailure in the electricity system of a city or an area that means that people do nothave electricity in their homes and businesses.  This sometimes happens here inCalifornia in the summertime.  When there are so many people trying to use airconditioners, for example, there is often a power outage.  I shouldn’t say often –sometimes a power outage.

There’s a power outage in our dialogue.  Charles asks, “Do you think we shouldcall Elizabeth to tell her we’ll be late for dinner?”  Jane and Charles are going tohave dinner with Elizabeth.  Jane says, “That’s a good idea.  Do you know herphone number offhand?”  The phone number in the United States has a total of10 numbers, 11 if you dial “1.”  Every telephone number has 10 numbers;sometimes, however, if you are in the same city or area, you only have to dial thelast seven numbers.  Phone numbers in the United States are usually grouped by three numbers for the area code – the general area where you’re calling, thenfollowed by three numbers and then four numbers.  So, for example: 310-555-1212, that would be a typical phone number in the U.S.

Jane asks if Charles knows the phone number offhand.  “Offhand” means withoutneeding to look it up.  You know it right away, immediately; you’ve memorizedthe number.  “Offhand” is one word.  Take look at our Learning Guide for someadditional explanations of that term.

Charles says, “No, I don’t, and I can’t look it up in my address book or the phonebook without any lights.”  Your “address book” is a small book that people havewith people’s names, addresses, and telephone numbers.  Many people nowhave these electronically on their computer or phone.  Charles says he can’t look it up in the address book he has or in his phone book unless he has some lights,and of course, because there’s no electricity, there are no lights that he can use. The “phone book” is a large book that has everyone’s phone number; usually most businesses have their phone number there as well. Then he says, “Oh, wait.  I have it programmed into my cell phone.”  “To programsomething into something else” is to save information, for example, on your cell phone so you can find it later.  “I should be able to use the speed dial to call her,”

he says.”  “Speed dial” is a technology that allows you to automatically dial all 7or 10 numbers, or 11 numbers, of a phone number just by pressing one numberusually on your cell phone or also on your phone at home. Charles then says, “Oh, no,” and Jane says, “What’s the matter?”  What is wrong?  He says, “My cell phone battery is dead.”  The “battery” is, as you mayknow, a small device that stores electricity to give power to things like your cellphone.  There are several meanings of that word; take a look at the LearningGuide for some more help on that.  He says that his “battery is dead,” meaning ithas no more power.

Jane says, “Maybe we can use the landline to call directory assistance.”  A“landline” (one word) is a traditional telephone that is connected with a wire inyour home or office.  It’s not a mobile phone; it’s not a cell phone.  It’s the phonethat we used to have, exclusively, before cell phones; the only phones we usedto have were landlines.  “Directory assistance” is a service offered by phonecompanies, or sometimes now by automatic computer systems, where you canfind a phone number for a person by calling them up.  It used to be that directory assistance was always free in the United States, now sometimes you have to pay for directory assistance.

Jane says, “The operator should be able to give us (Elizabeth’s) number.”  The“operator” is the employee at the phone company who actually answers your calland gives you the information.  If it’s a computer, of course, there is no operator. Charles says, “I doubt it (I don’t think so).  There must be more than oneElizabeth Bennett in our area code.”  What he’s saying is that the operator won’tbe able to help them because there are many different people with the samename, Elizabeth Bennett in this case, in our area code.  Your “area code” is theregion or area where you’re located.  Remember I said that telephone numbers in the U.S. have 11 digits: one plus three numbers for the area code.  So in my part of Los Angeles, the area code is 310, and everyone who lives around me inmy neighborhood has that same area code.  He’s saying here that there are toomany people with same name in the area code, so the operator won’t knowwhich one we want.

Jane says, “You’re probably right, but I’ll try anyway.  Where’s the phone?  Oh,here it is,” she says, “Why aren’t I getting a dial tone?”  Why am I not receiving orhearing a dial tone?  A “dial tone” is the sound you hear when you pick up aphone before you start dialing the number; that’s a “dial tone.”  It tells you that thephone is working and you can then press the numbers for the person you aretrying to call.

Charles says, “Try listening through the earpiece instead of the mouthpiece.” The “earpiece” of a phone is what goes next to your ear so you can hear whatthe other person is saying.  The “mouthpiece,” logically, is the part of the phonethat goes by your mouth so you can talk to someone.  What happened here is that Jane has the phone upside down so that the mouthpiece is by her ear andthe earpiece is by her mouth.  Not too smart, Jane!

Jane says, “Oh, right.  How do I dial 411 if I can’t see the keypad?”  She’s sayingit’s so dark she can’t see the numbers on the phone to press them in order to callsomeone.  We call those numbers the “keypad.”  There are 12 buttons on atelephone, with the numbers zero (0) through nine (9) and then two other littlebuttons, one of which we call the “asterisk,” it looks like a star (*), the other is called the “pound sign,” which has two lines vertically 10 and two lines horizontally (#).  It’s also the symbol that we use for “number” – the “pound sign” (#).

Charles then says, “Hey, the power is back on!”  The power is working; theelectricity is now working correctly.  Jane says, “Not a moment too soon!”  Thatexpression, “not a moment too soon,” means just in time.  You say this whenyou’re waiting for something to happen and then it finally happens, just as youneed it, right at the right moment, not too late.  You say, “Not a moment to soon!”

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

[start of dialogue]

Charles:  I don’t know how long this power outage is going to last.  Do you think we should call Elizabeth to tell her we’ll be late for dinner?

Jane:  That’s a good idea.  Do you know her phone number offhand?

Charles:  No, I don’t, and I can’t look it up in my address book or in the phonebook without any lights.  Oh, wait.  I have it programmed into my cell phone.  Ishould be able to use speed dial to call her.  Oh, no.

Jane:  What’s the matter?

Charles:  My cell phone battery is dead. Jane:  Maybe we can use the landline to call directory assistance.  The operatorshould be able to give us her number.

Charles:  I doubt it.  There must be more than one Elizabeth Bennett in our areacode. Jane:  You’re probably right, but I’ll try anyway.  Where’s the phone?  Oh, here itis.  Why aren’t I getting a dial tone? Charles:  Try listening through the earpiece instead of the mouthpiece.

Jane:  Oh, right.  How do I dial 411 if I can’t see the keypad?

Charles:  Hey, the power is back on!

Jane:  Not a moment too soon!

[end of dialogue]

I can tell you name of our scriptwriter for this episode offhand, it’s Dr. Lucy Tse. Thank you Lucy! From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan.  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.  This podcast is copyright 2008.