• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ENGLISH CAFÉ – 546 TOPICS Paul Bunyan; American Songs – “You’re the Top”; big versus huge versus massive; at all and show off; to be beside (oneself) _____________ GLOSSARY legend – a story from the past that many people know and repeat but that may not be true, usually of an amazing person or event * There is a legend about a ship carrying millions of gold coins which sank in the Caribbean Ocean over two hundred years ago. axe – a tool with a wooden handle and a heavy metal blade that is used for chopping wood * The firefighter swung his axe to chop down the door of the burning building to save the trapped people inside. lumberjack – a person whose job is to cut down trees that are used in building * The lumberjacks worked in teams in the woods to fell trees. canyon – a deep valley (low area between mountains) with steep and rocky sides, often with a river at the bottom * It would take a hiker several days to hike to the bottom of this canyon. hero – a person who is admired for his or her bravery or important actions * In our community, we are surrounded by real-life heroes who risk their own lives for other people, but who are unrecognized. mainstream – ideas, views, and activities that are considered normal or shared by most people * Names like Ethel and Bertha used to be considered mainstream in the U.S. but are not popular today. chopping block – a hard, usually round, piece of wood on which things such as meat, vegetables, or wood are cut * The chef put the large piece of meat on the chopping block and carefully cut it into thin steaks. 1 These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2016). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ENGLISH CAFÉ – 546 duet – a song or piece of music that is performed by two singers or musicians at the same time * Misha and Diane sang a beautiful duet about two people in love. bonnet – an old-fashioned hat with a wide brim that goes around the head and two pieces of fabric that ties under the chin to keep it in place * The baby had a white bonnet with flowers on it covering her head. to outdo – to try to do something better than another person * Marcus always tries to outdo his brother, so when his brother received a 95% on his test, Marcus tried to get a 100%. collar – the part of a shirt that is attached to the top and goes around a person’s neck, usually covering part of the neck * Raul’s collar felt too tight and he realized that he must have gained weight. catchy – a song or phrase that is easy to remember * Ming heard the catchy song on the way to work and sang it all day long. big – large in size, extent, degree, or intensity * These pants are too big for my 4-year-old son. They would fit an older child. huge – very large in size; great in size, amount, or degree * What would you do if you got a huge raise at work? Would you save it or buy yourself a new car? massive – extremely large and/or heavy; very severe * A massive tree fell on their house, crushing the entire roof. at all – in any way; to any extent or degree * After eating a lot at lunch, I’m not hungry for dinner at all. show-off – a person who tries to impress other people with his or her abilities or possessions * Monica doesn’t like show-offs who expect others to admire their expensive cars or fancy clothes. to be beside oneself – to be in an extreme state of emotion, often anger or excitement * Nick was beside himself when he found out that his younger brother borrowed his car without permission and had a traffic accident while driving it. 2 These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2016). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ENGLISH CAFÉ – 546 WHAT INSIDERS KNOW Fearsome Critters Lumberjacks work to “fell” (cut down trees so that they fall over) trees and “transport” (moving) them to “sawmills” (places where logs are cut into boards). The term is mostly used to refer to men who did this work with “hand tools” (tools operated by human hands, not with gas or electricity) before 1945. Their work was dangerous, but they developed a strong culture, which included “oral” (with spoken words) “storytelling” (the art of sharing stories with others). As the lumberjacks traveled between “camps” (places where the lumberjacks lived while working in the forests), they shared stories, many of which involved “fearsome critters,” or “imaginary” (not real) “beasts” (animals, especially large and scary ones). The stories were often told as a “gag” (joke) to trick “newcomers” (people who were visiting or had only recently arrived). Usually two or more storytellers worked together, “corroborating” (confirming; indicating that something is true) each other’s comments to convince the listeners. Usually, but not always, the fearsome critters were more “comical” (funny) than “frightening” (scary), but sometimes they were used to explain mysterious things that happened to lumberjacks who didn’t return to the camps. Some of the fearsome creatures included a “fur-bearing trout” (a fish that had thick “fur” (hair that grows on an animal’s body)), a “skunk ape” (a walking, human-like form in Florida), the “hidebehind,” which would “capture” (catch) and eat lumberjacks, and the “snallygaster,” a dragon-like beast in Maryland. Probably the best-known fearsome critter is the “jackalope,” which is said to be a rabbit with the “antlers” (horns that grow on the head) of an “antelope” (a deer-like animal). 3 These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2016). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ENGLISH CAFÉ – 546 COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT You’re listening to ESL Podcast’s English Café number 546. This is English as a Second Language Podcast English Café episode 546. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California. (My version of a-ha from the 1980s. Yeah. It needs a little work, I know.) But you can go to our website while I’m working on that. Go to ESLPod.com and become a member of ESL Podcast. You can’t download any 1980s songs, but you can download a Learning Guide for this episode that contains a complete transcript of everything we say. Why not follow us on Twitter at @eslpod and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/eslpod. On this Café, we’re going to talk about one of my favorite stories growing up that we used to hear in school, the story of Paul Bunyan. We’re also going to talk about a famous song from the 1930s, “You’re the Top.” And as always, we’ll answer a few of your questions. Let’s get started. The legend of Paul Bunyan began in the late nineteenth century in the United States. A “legend” (legend) is a story about something that happened many years ago, and that is repeated but may not necessarily be true. Usually it’s a story about amazing things that a person did or an amazing event. Oftentimes the details of the story are false or exaggerated, and many times the entire story is untrue. But people like to tell legends, especially ones that teach us certain lessons – moral, ethical, or otherwise. The legend of Paul Bunyan says that once upon a time, many years ago, there was a very large, strong man who carried an axe. An “axe” (axe) is a tool used to cut a tree down and to “chop” (chop) wood. “To chop wood” means to break the wood into smaller pieces so that you can use it for other things. According to this legend, this large man had an axe so big it was the size of a tree. I mean it was a huge axe. The man’s name was Paul Bunyan, and Bunyan carried this axe because his job was a lumberjack. A “lumberjack” (lumberjack) is a person whose job is to cut down trees, that are then cut apart and used for building things. The legend is that Paul Bunyan traveled around the country, the United States, cutting down trees that were so large that often after he cut them down, he would end up creating spaces in the ground big enough for a lake or river. The story says, for 4 These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2016). Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ENGLISH CAFÉ – 546 example, that Paul Bunyan created the Grand Canyon in Arizona and an area known as the Black Hills in South Dakota. A “canyon” (canyon) is a deep valley or a very low place between mountains, usually with what we would call “steep sides.” In other words, the sides go up and down, almost like a wall. The Grand Canyon is located in the southwestern part of the United States.

Load more

  11

Copy Link