Having Trouble Sleeping

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Luis: So, how are the newlyweds doing?

Stevie: Oh, we’re great. I’m just a little tired.

Luis: Well, that goes with the territory, right?

Stevie: No, that’s not what I mean. Patrick has been keeping me up with his snoring.

Luis: Oh, that’s a bummer.

Stevie: Yeah, it really is. I’m usually awakened soon after I fall asleep, and then I toss and turn all night. That’s not all. Patrick also talks in his sleep.

Luis: Wow, that’s terrible. I’d make a beeline for some sleeping pills, if I were you.

Stevie: I took some one night last week, but I woke up groggy and disoriented. I’d rather have insomnia than load up on drugs.

Luis: Have you tried waking him up when he snores or talks in his sleep?

Stevie: I tried that one night, but he just ended up sleepwalking!

Luis: Geez, what are you going to do?

Stevie: I wish I knew.

Luis: It’s a little early in your marriage for separate bedrooms, but I wouldn’t rule it out.

Stevie: I’ll keep it in mind. If I don’t get a good night’s sleep soon, separate bedrooms will be the least of our problems!
From: www.eslpod.com

Streets ahead

Join the pie team as they stroll down Mango Street
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Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is suppose to take place before summer, not after it. But, as usual, I procrastinated and now I have to finally get rid of all the junk I've accumulated over the year. But now there are no if's, and's, or but's about it--the cleaning must be done!

I start in my bedroom. I have a king bed, with a sheet on the mattress and a top sheet, with pillow cases on the pillows. Atop all that I have a down comforter. Well, they all need to be washed, so into the machine they go. Next I start in on the closet. What a mess! I've got boxes and bins full of stuff that need sorting . Finally, I have to vacuum the carpet and dust. Whew! Quite a job! Good thing I don't have any drapes, just shades on the windows.

But I'm not done yet. It's time to move on to the kitchen. I have a combination stove and oven, both of which I need to clean. I start with the fridge, though, which needs the most work. I take out the shelves and rinse them all off. Then I dump anything that has passed its expiration date. Then its back to the stove, which I need to scrub clean of the grease and stains , and the same for the oven. Finally, I wash all the dirty dishes and put them in a dish rack next to the sink.

Spring cleaning is always a mixed bag for me. It's a lot of work, but I also find things I've been missing for the past year! Maybe next time I'll manage to do my spring cleaning in the spring.

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Meetings: Managing the Discussion

Today’s Classic is the second in a two-part intermediate podcast series on opening and managing meetings. In this lesson we reviewed the language for keeping the discussion on track, encouraging participation, moving to a new topic and checking agreement. This version includes the additional speaking practice from the meetings e-book.

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Taking Pictures

My nephew's wedding is coming up this Saturday, and I thought it would be nice to take some candids for the happy couple. My wife, who's the photographer in the family, wasn't around today, so I decided to strike out on my own and head off to the camera shop. I love to shop for new gadgets.

When I got to the store. I was blown away by all the options I had! There were disposable cameras, digital cameras, cameras combined with camcorders - it was making my head spin. I finally asked one of the sales clerks what he would recommend.

"It depends if you want a point-and-shoot type, or are looking for something more fancy," he said.

"I'm looking for something that will take a good shot and not be too complicated to operate," I replied.

"Well, this one here has a built-in flash and takes good pictures. When you've finished shooting the roll, just bring it in and we'll develop them for you.‚"

"Do you make enlargements of the prints if I'm interested in doing that?‚"

"Sure," he said, "we can do 4 x 6 or 8 x 10 glossies, if you'd like.‚"

I decided to go with the camera he recommended. Now all I have to do is justify the new camera to my wife.

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I dont care

In the last podcast, about Socks and Cookie, I said I do not care what the cat is called.

What do we mean when we say “I do not care”?

We mean, “That is not important to me.”

So, if I say, “I do not care what the cat is called”, I mean, “It is not important to me what the cat is called.”

OK? Everybody clear? Then let’s go and find Kevin and Joanne.

Many months ago, a friend of Joanne’s invited Kevin and Joanne to come to her weding. And Kevin and Joanne said, yes they would be very pleased to come. But, as I say, that was months ago, and Kevin has forgotten all about it, until Joanne reminds him that the wedding is on Saturday.

“But Joanne, there is a football match on TV on Saturday. If I go to the wedding I will miss the match.”

“I don’t care about the football”, says Joanne. “We are going to the wedding”.

“But, Joanne, its a really important game”.

“I don’t care how important the game is. We’re going to the wedding.”

“But, Joanne, if United win on Saturday, they will go through to the next round.”

“I dont care whether they win or lose, we’re going to the wedding.”

“Look, Joanne, it’s Joe’s birthday on Saturday. Me and some of his friends, we have planned a surprise party for him.”

“Nice try, Kevin, but I don’t care about Joe’s birthday. We’re going to the wedding.”

“But, Joanne, how can I explain to Joe that I can’t come to his party?”

“I don’t care what you say to him. We said that we would go to the wedding and that is what we are going to do.”

“So, Joanne, you don’t care that Joe will be upset that I can’t go to his party?”

“Quite right, Kevin. I don’t care. And Joe won’t be upset”

Full text here

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Asking for a Date

I admit it. I’m a player. I work in an office where there are a lot of attractive women. Take Debra, for example. I heard that she just broke up with her boyfriend last week so I decided to ask her out.

Liam: Hi, Debra. How’s it going?

Debra: Okay, I guess. How about you?

Liam: I’m doing okay. You know, I’m going to an art show this Saturday. Would you like to come with me?

Debra: Geez, I’m pretty busy this weekend.

Liam: That’s too bad. How about going for a drink after work today?

Debra: Well, I don’t know...

Liam: Come on. It’ll be fun and we can try that new place down the street.

Debra: I guess that’ll be okay, but just a drink, right?

Liam: That’s all and I promise I won’t even try to buy you dinner.

Debra: [laughs] Okay, then. I’ll see you after work.

I ask women out wherever I see them, even ones I’ve never met before. At a restaurant, if I see a woman eating by herself, I usually say: “I just hate eating alone. Do you mind if I join you?” The other day, I saw a woman at the grocery store and tried my luck.

Liam: Hi.

Monica: Hi.

Liam: I’ve just moved to this area and was wondering if you could recommend a good restaurant around here.

Monica: That depends on what kind of food you like. There’s a good Italian restaurant on Elm Street, or there’s a good Thai place on Lyndon Avenue.

Liam: Which one do you prefer?

Monica: I like them both, but I’d probably go for the Italian place.

Liam: In that case, would you like to join me for dinner sometime?

Monica: I’m not sure. I don’t even know you.

Liam: You’re right, but you seem really nice and I’d like to get to know you better. What do you say?

Monica: Well, maybe. Here’s my number. Call me and we’ll talk about it.

Liam: I’ll do that. I’m looking forward to talking with you again.

It’s as easy as that. I don’t try to be a player. All it takes is a little charm and a little flattery, and the women will find you irresistible.

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Getting a Traffic Ticket

I was driving down the street when I saw a police car behind me. Suddenly, it turned on its siren. I realized that I was being pulled over.

Officer: Can I see your driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance?

Ray: Sure. Here you are, officer.

Officer: Did you know that you were speeding? You were going 70 in a 55 mile an hour zone.

Ray: I was? No, I didn’t know.

Officer: You also ran a red light and your brake light is out. I see that your tags have also expired. I’m going to have to cite you for all of that.

Ray: I’m sure I didn’t run a red light, and I didn’t know my brake light wasn’t working. I just renewed my registration and I’m still waiting for my new tags to arrive in the mail. Is there any way I can get away with just a warning?

Officer: I’m afraid not.

Ray: What’s the fine for all of those violations?

Officer: That information is on the back of the citation. Here you are. Have a nice day.

Ray: Thanks. Thanks a lot!

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Charity Shops

In many towns in England, the main shopping street is called “High Street”. We often use the expression “high street” to mean the main shopping street of any town or suburb, no matter what its real name is. Or we talk about “the high street” to mean shopping facilities generally, particularly shops that people use every day like food shops. So, when a newspaper writes about “high street prices”, for example, they just mean the prices of everyday things that people might buy in high street shops.

And we often complain that high street shops are the same boring shops everywhere in England. Many high street shops are branches of big national chains. For example, there is Next, and Marks and Spencer, which sell clothes; and WH Smith, which sells stationery, books and magazines; and Boots, the chemists; and Woolworths, where you can buy almost anything, provided that it is cheap and made of plastic. You can find these shops in most high streets in England. In most high streets, too, you will find one or more charity shops.

Full text here

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Describing People's Moods

Brett: Do you know what kind of mood Mom is in?

Molly: Not really. Why?

Brett: I really need a raise in my allowance and I’m waiting for the right time to ask. She’ll be more likely to say “yes” if she’s not feeling too grouchy.

Molly: I wouldn’t count on this being a good time. She looked a little upset after getting off the phone with Aunt Teri.

Brett: Why?

Molly: Aunt Teri has been down in the dumps since Cousin Frank decided to take a job in Cambodia. He’s on cloud nine about this new job, but Aunt Teri is anxious about him moving so far away.

Brett: I see. Well, I’ve got to think of some way to cheer her up. It’s a lost cause if I ask her while she’s angry, on edge, or depressed.

Molly: You know that Mom is always happy to hear good news about school. Do you have anything new to report?

Brett: I hadn’t thought of that. I need to come up with something.

Molly: Be patient. Wait for the right moment and then strike. I speak from years of experience.

Brett: Right. Thanks.

(From www.eslpod.com)

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Report writing

Listen to an IELTS examiner give some tips on writing reports.

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What leads to success?

Lori: I have a lot of business English students when I teach in the classroom and a lot of times we end up talking about things like success and what leads to success, and it’s interesting that many of them mention the element of luck.
Michael: Right, OK.
L: That luck is important to success but as you know, since you’ve seen that fantastic video on the TED Talks web site by Richard St John…
M: Sure.
L: He doesn’t mention luck at all.
M: Right, I’m a firm believer that people can make their own luck. I mean what people regard as being luck, you know, you can actually create to a degree.
L: Right, right. I think a lot of what people consider luck is…is really…it’s down to how you respond to the opportunities that come your way.
M: Yes, very good point, yeah.
L: Seizing the opportunities. But was there any point in the video that you thought was particularly interesting?
M: Umm…yes, actually there was. Something very close to my heart is a lot of people think in the same way that you say that these folks are saying they think that luck is important, that people think that innate talent is something that you have to have to be successful. And in the video that we saw, the point about getting good at something, and it’s not about…umm…having some innate talent, it’s all about practise, practise, practise.
L: Mmm, definitely yeah.
M: You know, and creating your own, you know, if you want to be good at something then you practise you…and you make yourself skillful at doing something; it’s not that, you know, people are all…err…you know, born that way it’s just...

(Full transcript are here)

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Using the Telephone

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 phone book without any lights. Oh, wait. I have it programmed into my cell phone. I should 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 operator should be able to give us her number.

Charles: I doubt it. There must be more than one Elizabeth Bennett in our area code.

Jane: You’re probably right, but I’ll try anyway. Where’s the phone? Oh, here it is. 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!

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(from eslpod.com)