ESL Podcast 958 – Selecting a Neighborhood to Live In

目前最好的英语听力教材,完整的英文授课脚本,不需要老师即可完成ESLPodcast课程的学习。目前文库中Learning Guide不完整,本课就是对文库资料的补充。

English as a Second Language Podcast

http://wendang.chazidian.com

GLOSSARY

downtown – the center of a city, especially where there are a lot of businesses * The train station is downtown, near several hotels.

on foot – walking; without using a vehicle

* They live close to the school, so their kids can go on foot or by bike.

amenities – a useful or desirable feature that makes something more attractive, comfortable, or enjoyable

* This cruise ship has wonderful amenities, including several restaurants, two bars, dance clubs, pools, exercise rooms, and more.

bustling – very busy, with a lot of movement and interest, especially with many people moving through an area

* The stores are bustling with holiday shoppers in December, but there weren’t as many people in the mall during other times of the year.

crime rate – the number of crimes that happen over a period of time divided by the number of people living in that area

* The police chief is trying to lower the crime rate by having more police officers walking and driving around this neighborhood, especially late at night.

proximity to – closeness; a measure of how near two things are to each other * It’s difficult to find an affordable apartment with proximity to public

transportation.

open space – an undeveloped area; an area in or near a city with many plants and without buildings

* The city has a lot of regulations that prevent developers from building homes in the remaining open spaces.

commute time – the amount of time one spends traveling between home and work or school

* If the city starts to build a new bridge, the construction delays might double our commute time.

public transportation – the system of buses, subways, trains, ferries, and more that are operated by a city or county to take people where they want to go

* If the city had a better public transportation system, we wouldn’t need to have two cars.

ESL Podcast 958 – Selecting a Neighborhood to Live In 1

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

目前最好的英语听力教材,完整的英文授课脚本,不需要老师即可完成ESLPodcast课程的学习。目前文库中Learning Guide不完整,本课就是对文库资料的补充。

English as a Second Language Podcast

http://wendang.chazidian.com

to settle down – to move to a place and stay there for a long time, becoming comfortable and familiar with the area

* When Hannah was in her 20s, she traveled all over the world, but now she’s ready to settle down and start a family.

suburbs – the areas surrounding a city center, where homes are larger and more spread out, with fewer large office buildings

* This whole area used to be farmland, but in the past few years it has been developed into suburbs of McQuillan City.

character – traits or characteristics that make a person or thing different from others and more interesting

* Old homes require a lot of repairs and maintenance, but they have more character than new homes.

cookie-cutter – identical; a phrase used to describe many objects, especially homes, that are exactly the same or very similar

* The street has cookie-cutter homes with the same floor plan, but at least they’re painted different colors.

nightlife – activities and events that happen in a city at night, especially at dance clubs, bars, parks, and outdoor festivals

* This city needs more nightlife. I wish someone would open up some new restaurants and bars!

to lounge – to relax, especially sitting in a relaxed position or lying down

* What could be better than lounging near an outdoor pool on a summer day?

close-knit community – a group of people who have strong relationships and participate in shared activities

* This neighborhood is a close-knit community where the children play together and the adults often cook meals for each other.

ESL Podcast 958 – Selecting a Neighborhood to Live In

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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

目前最好的英语听力教材,完整的英文授课脚本,不需要老师即可完成ESLPodcast课程的学习。目前文库中Learning Guide不完整,本课就是对文库资料的补充。

English as a Second Language Podcast

http://wendang.chazidian.com

ESL Podcast 958 – Selecting a Neighborhood to Live In

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Why doesn’t Jeremy want to live downtown?

a) Because it’s noisy.

b) Because it smells bad.

c) Because it isn’t safe.

2. What does Leona mean when she says “everything is cookie-cutter”?

a) All the homes and neighborhoods look the same.

b) People eat too much junk food and are overweight.

c) It’s too expensive to buy a home in the suburbs.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

on foot

The phrase “on foot,” in this podcast, means walking, without using a vehicle: “It would be great to go to work on foot and not have to worry about driving and parking.” The phrase “the foot of (something)” means the bottom or base of

something: “They own a small cabin at the foot of Mount Rainier.” The phrase “to be on (one’s) feet” means to be standing: “Nurses have to wear comfortable shoes, because they spend all day on their feet.” Finally, the phrase “to put (one’s) foot down” means to do or say something very firmly, making one’s opinion clear: “We understand teenagers like to try new things, but we put our foot down when it comes parties with drugs and alcohol.”

to settle down

In this podcast, the phrase “to settle down” means to move to a place and stay there for a long time, becoming comfortable and familiar with the area: “Why are so many young men and women scared to settle down and get married these days?” The phrase “to settle” means to end an argument: “I hope we can settle this matter just between us, without going to court.” The phrase “to settle down” means to become calm and quiet: “It took a long time to get the kids to settle

down and go to bed last night.” Finally, the phrase “to settle up” means to pay all the money that is owed on an account or bill: “Don’t forget to return the room key when you settle up with the hotel.”

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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

目前最好的英语听力教材,完整的英文授课脚本,不需要老师即可完成ESLPodcast课程的学习。目前文库中Learning Guide不完整,本课就是对文库资料的补充。

English as a Second Language Podcast

http://wendang.chazidian.com

ESL Podcast 958 – Selecting a Neighborhood to Live In

CULTURE NOTE

Crime Rates and the Most Dangerous Cities

Local, state, and federal “agencies” (government departments) “track” (record; monitory) “crime statistics” for cities across the country. “Crime statistics are data about the number and types of crimes that are “committed” (made to happen by criminals). The crime statistics for different cities are often compared to identify the safest and most dangerous cities in the United States.

The “FBI” (Federal Bureau of Investigation, a federal agency) “releases” (makes available to the public) each year “Uniform Crime Reports” that provide

“aggregated” (total) statistics for crime in the United States. In 2012, the rate for “violent crime” (crimes that hurt people, such as murder, rape, robbery, and

“assault” (attacks)) was 386.9 “per” (for every) 100,000 people, and the rate for “property crime” (crimes that do not hurt people, but involve stealing things of value) was 2,859.2 per 100,000 people.

It’s difficult to compare the crime statistics for cities to determine which ones are the safest or most dangerous. Nevertheless, some cities have reputations for being more dangerous than others. New York City is “commonly” (by many

people) thought to be the most dangerous city in the United States. However, in September 2013, many “news outlets” (newspapers, magazines, and other types of media that report news) reported that Chicago had “surpassed” (gone beyond) New York as the “murder capital” (the place where the greatest number of

murders occurs) in the United States. Apparently Chicago had more “homicides” (murders) than any other American city in 2012, even though New York City has “three times more” (300% of the number of) residents.

However, another city is even more dangerous than New York City or Chicago. Flint, Michigan had the highest crime rate in the United States. With a population of only 101,632, the city had 63 murders in 2012. That “works out to” (is

calculated as) a crime rate of one murder per every 1,613 residents.

______________

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

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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

目前最好的英语听力教材,完整的英文授课脚本,不需要老师即可完成ESLPodcast课程的学习。目前文库中Learning Guide不完整,本课就是对文库资料的补充。

English as a Second Language Podcast

http://wendang.chazidian.com

ESL Podcast 958 – Selecting a Neighborhood to Live In COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 958 – Selecting a Neighborhood to Live In.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 958. I'm your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is http://wendang.chazidian.com. You don't have to come to Los Angeles to learn

about us – just go to our website. When you're there, you can become a member of ESL Podcast and get a Learning Guide for this episode.

This episode is a dialogue about choosing a place to live in a city or town. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Leona: I want to live close to downtown. We can get everywhere on foot and walk to most amenities.

Jeremy: Downtown is always bustling and noisy, and the crime rate is really high. I’d rather have proximity to parks and open spaces.

Leona: If we lived downtown, we wouldn’t have to worry about commute time and traffic. I could walk to work and you could take public transportation.

Jeremy: That’s true, but there aren’t any good schools near downtown.

Leona: Hello, we don’t have any kids.

Jeremy: Not yet. I want to settle down somewhere for a while, not move every couple of years.

Leona: Is that why you want to live in the suburbs? The suburbs have no

character. Everything is cookie-cutter.

Jeremy: That’s not true.

Leona: Downtown has character and it’s close to nightlife.

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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.