PODCAST_2014_2 Flashcards
rental agent
PODCAST #1038
“Thanks for coming with me to meet the rental agent to view an apartment, but I think I’m lost.”
a person whose job is to help people find a home or apartment to rent, and who helps property owners find tenants to live in their buildings
- Finding a place to live in some New York City neighborhoods can be almost impossible without the help of a rental agent.
apartment
PODCAST #1038
“Thanks for coming with me to meet the rental agent to view an apartment, but I think I’m lost.”
a smaller home with a sleeping area or one or more bedrooms, a bathroom, a living area, and a kitchen, in a large building with many other apartments
- Their first apartment was so small that there was barely enough room for a bed!
lost
PODCAST #1038
“Thanks for coming with me to meet the rental agent to view an apartment, but I think I’m lost.”
not knowing where one is or how to get to one’s destination
- We’re lost. Let’s stop to ask someone for directions to this address.
apartment complex
PODCAST #1038
“There are four different apartment complexes located next to each other and they look identical.”
a set of buildings in a similar style and built around the same time, each with many apartments
- Most of the university students live in one of the apartment complexes near campus.
identical
PODCAST #1038
“There are four different apartment complexes located next to each other and they look identical.”
the same; with the same appearance; without any differences
- Some psychologists say it isn’t a good idea to dress twins in identical clothing.
subdivision
(PODCAST #1038)
“Yes, but all of the complexes in this subdivision look the same, and I don’t see a street number on any of them.”
an area of land that has been divided for sale and development, typically with all the buildings having a very similar appearance
- A lot of farmland is being sold and converted into subdivisions for the growing city.
street number
(PODCAST #1038)
“Yes, but all of the complexes in this subdivision look the same, and I don’t see a street number on any of them.”
the numerical part of an address; the numbered part of an address that appears before the street name
- There’s the street we’re looking for. Now what’s the street number of their home?
block
PODCAST #1038
“Are you sure we’re looking for a block of apartments?”
a square or rectangular area of land surrounded by four streets
- Omid’s best friend lives just two blocks away.
mixed-use
PODCAST #1038
“Maybe the apartment is in a mixed-use building, like that one over there.”
a building or neighborhood that is used for a combination of residential (housing), commercial (business), and retail (sales; stores) purposes
- The city planners want to develop more mixed-use neighborhoods where businesses and stores are on the ground floor, and apartments are built above them.
high-rise
PODCAST #1038
“At least I know it’s in a high-rise building and the apartment is on the eighth floor.”
referring to a very tall building; a skyscraper
- This high-rise office building offers some incredible views of the city.
floor
PODCAST #1038
“At least I know it’s in a high-rise building and the apartment is on the eighth floor.”
story; one level in a building, connected to other levels by elevators and/or stairs
- The living room, dining room, and kitchen are on the main floor, and all the bedrooms are on the second floor.
story
PODCAST #1038
“That mixed-use building is only three stories high.”
floor; one level in a building, connected to other levels by elevators and/or stairs
- Sandra lives at the top of a four-story building without an elevator, so she has been getting a lot of exercise from walking up and down the stairs.
duplex
PODCAST #1038
“Oh, then it’s not a duplex or triplex, like those over there.”
a building with two apartments; a house divided into two apartments with separate entrances
- They bought a duplex so that they can live on one side, and Omar’s parents can live on the other side.
triplex
PODCAST #1038
“Oh, then it’s not a duplex or triplex, like those over there.”
a building with three apartments; a house divided into three apartments with separate entrances
- As a college student, Isidro moved into a triplex so that he could be independent, but still have close interactions with other people in the building.
resident
PODCAST #1038
“I see a couple of the residents of that building walking out.”
a person who lives in a particular building, neighborhood, or city
- The electric company has a special program to help low-income residents pay their electric bills.
bill collector
PODCAST #1038
“The bill collectors will never be able to find you!”
a person whose job is to find people who owe money to a company and make them pay
- When Jacob lost his job, his family didn’t have enough money to pay the bills, and soon the bill collectors started calling.
to run its course
PODCAST #1037
“I think this party has run its course, and I’m ready to call it a night.”
for something to naturally complete its process or cycle,
without being interrupted, sped up, or slowed down
- Unfortunately, doctors can’t cure the common cold. We’ll just have to let it run its course.
to call it a night
PODCAST #1037
“I think this party has run its course, and I’m ready to call it a night.”
to say that something has ended, or to announce that one has had enough of something, and then go home and/or go to bed.
- We still need to study another three chapters, but I’m too tired to concentrate. Let’s call it a night.
straggler
PODCAST #1037
“But there are still a few stragglers who seem reluctant to leave.”
one of the last people to finish something, or one of the last few people to continue to do something
- The marathon started six hours ago, but a few stragglers have still not completed the race.
reluctant
PODCAST #1037
“But there are still a few stragglers who seem reluctant to leave.”
not wanting to do something; hesitant; not looking forward to something
- They’re reluctant to sign a lease with such high rent, but they really want to live downtown.
politely
PODCAST #1037
“How do we politely tell them to go home?”
with consideration, good manners, and courtesy
- If you want to have a successful career, you’ll have to learn to give criticism politely.
hint
PODCAST #1037
“That seems kind of rude. Let me try a few hints.”
a gentle suggestion or slight indication, without clearly stating what the thing is
- Randall won’t tell his girlfriend where he’s taking her, because he wants it to be a secret, but he has given her a few hints.
liable
PODCAST #1037
“If you do that, one of those guys is liable to offer to make a beer run.”
likely; probably; something that could and probably will happen
- If we plan an outdoor event in April, it’s liable to rain, so make sure we have enough tents and umbrellas for all the guests.
beer run
PODCAST #1037
“If you do that, one of those guys is liable to offer to make a beer run.”
a quick trip to a store to buy beer, especially after people have drunk all the was available at a party
- If you’re making a beer run, can you please bring back some chips and salsa, too?
to do the trick
PODCAST #1037
“That’s not going to do the trick.”
to solve the problem; to be effective
- That duct tape should do the trick and stop the leak until we can buy a new pipe.
to yawn
PODCAST #1037
“What if I go over there, yawn, and comment on the lateness of the hour?”
to open one’s mouth wide and take a deep breath with a sighing sound, usually when one is very tired, but trying to stay awake
- Your son often yawns during my classes. Is he getting enough sleep at home?
lateness of the hour
PODCAST #1037
“What if I go over there, yawn, and comment on the lateness of the hour?”
a formal phrase describing the late evening, especially
when people are normally asleep
- They usually go out for dessert after seeing a play, but given the lateness of the hour, they decided to go home instead.
subtlety
PODCAST #1037
“Those people aren’t going to respond to subtlety.”
using delicacy and indirectness to express oneself
- Are you able to appreciate the subtlety of this artwork?
to turn up the lights
PODCAST #1037
“I’m turning up the lights and turning off the music.”
to make the lights brighter and more intense in a room
that was partially dark
- At the end of the movie, they turned up the lights in the theater.
lights out
PODCAST #1037
“I’m going to yell “Lights out, people!” and mean it!”
the time to turn off the lights and go to sleep, especially when used as a command to tell others to turn off the lights
- Most nights, the kids are in bed and reading by 8:00, but it’s lights out at 8:15.
to mean (something)
PODCAST #1037
“I’m going to yell “Lights out, people!” and mean it!”
to sincerely believe what one is saying, without any
doubt or hesitation
- Did you mean it when you said that you’d quit your job if you had to work for Irene?
dying industry
PODCAST #1036
“I thought farming was a dying industry.”
a sector (part) of the economy that is becoming smaller and may no longer exist in the future
- If people continue to buy foreign cars, automobile manufacturing could become a dying industry in the United States.
family farm
(PODCAST #1036)
“Family farms and small-scale farming are disappearing, but agribusiness is alive and well, thanks to government subsidies.”
a farm that is owned and operated by a family, not a corporation
- They dream of buying some land and having a family farm with cows, pigs, chickens, and fields of corn and blueberries.
small-scale
(PODCAST #1036)
“Family farms and small-scale farming are disappearing, but agribusiness is alive and well, thanks to government subsidies.”
small, not large; for a small number of people
- Right now, we’re limited to small-scale production out of our basement, but if sales continue to increase, we’ll be able to move into a small factory.
agribusiness
(PODCAST #1036)
“Family farms and small-scale farming are disappearing, but agribusiness is alive and well, thanks to government subsidies.”
the sector (part) of the economy that includes very large corporations that own and operate large farms on very large areas of land
- A lot of people are concerned about how animals are treated in agribusiness.
alive and well
(PODCAST #1036)
“Family farms and small-scale farming are disappearing, but agribusiness is alive and well, thanks to government subsidies.”
thriving; doing very well; with a lot of success
- Despite the government’s best efforts, people still cheat on their taxes and not pay what they owe.
government subsidy
(PODCAST #1036)
“Family farms and small-scale farming are disappearing, but agribusiness is alive and well, thanks to government subsidies.”
money paid by the government to a manufacturer to cause the price of a product to be lower
- Government subsidies of sugar and corn have made soda, chips, cookies, and other types of junk food very inexpensive.
lucrative
PODCAST #1036
“Are they lucrative?”
profitable; making a lot of money
- A great invention can be very lucrative, but only if you have the patent.
livelihood
PODCAST #1036
“They can be, but the subsidies were originally given to protect the livelihood of farmers.”
how one makes a living; how one earns money; a job or career
- As a butcher in a small town, Sayeed’s livelihood has always been dependent on good customer service.
to edge out
PODCAST #1036
“Well, agribusiness has edged out small-scale farms because output is the name of the game.”
to do better than someone or something else so that its power or influence weakens while one’s own power and influence increases
- Renee hopes to edge out the other dancers in the salsa competitio
output
PODCAST #1036
“Well, agribusiness has edged out small-scale farms because output is the name of the game.”
production; the amount of a product or service made by someone with a certain amount of resources and/or in a certain amount of time; a measure of efficiency
- If we hire more workers, we can increase output by up to 40%.
the name of the game
PODCAST #1036
“Well, agribusiness has edged out small-scale farms because output is the name of the game.”
the most important thing in deciding how things are done; the way things are expected to be
- Being involved in a lot of extracurricular activities is the name of the game for high school students who want to be admitted to prestigious colleges.
to throw in the towel
PODCAST #1036
“A lot of small-scale farmers have thrown in the towel.”
to give up; to stop trying to do something, especially because it seems too difficult or impossible
- We need to hire someone who is very persistent and won’t throw in the towel the first time there’s an obstacle.
that’s a shame
PODCAST #1036
“That’s a shame, but the subsidies are still used to protect domestic food production, right?”
a phrase used to express disappointment or sadness about something that is happening, especially something that seems unfair
- Adam’s father was ill and couldn’t attend his son’s college graduation. That’s a shame!
domestic
PODCAST #1036
“That’s a shame, but the subsidies are still used to protect domestic food production, right?”
within a country; not international
- Will we ever have enough domestic oil production to avoid importing oil?
a way of life
PODCAST #1036
“That may be, but we’re losing a way of life.”
the way things are done, especially referring to culture; how people live in a certain area or with certain opinions
- Fishing is a way of life for many people who live in coastal towns.
to come from a long line of
PODCAST #1036
“I come from a long line of farmers.”
to have many family members involved in a
particular industry or hobby
- Vince comes from a long line of military officers.
very
(PODCAST #1036)
“I work for the government agency that gives out subsidies to the very farms that put us out of business.”
exact; precise; a word used to emphasize the following word
- Your shopping cart is full of the very junk foods that the doctor told you to stop eating!
twist of fate
PODCAST #1036
“That’s quite a twist of fate.”
an unanticipated change in events, especially an ironic one
- In a twist of fate, Dynee finally got a job on the day that she was evicted from her apartment because she could not afford to pay the rent.
cashier line
PODCAST #1035
“Let’s get in this cashier line.”
a group of people who are standing one behind the other to wait for the store employee to become available to help them make their purchase
- The woman at the front of the cashier line had to run back to the aisles to find something that she forgot to buy, so the rest of us had to keep waiting.
self-checkout
PODCAST #1035
“This store has self-checkout machines.”
a process or machine designed to allow people to purchase items or process their own transaction before leaving a store, without help from an employee
- The self-checkout area is constantly monitored to make sure that nobody steals items without paying for them.
machine
PODCAST #1035
“This store has self-checkout machines.”
an electronic device that performs some task, especially to save time, effort, and/or money for humans
- When will someone invent a machine that folds laundry?
to scan
PODCAST #1035
“All you have to do is scan the bar codes on each grocery item.”
to have a computer “read” or get information
- The airport has special machines that scan luggage tags and send the luggage to the correct airplane.
barcode
PODCAST #1035
“All you have to do is scan the bar codes on each grocery item.”
a series of wide and narrow parallel (running in the same direction) lines with numbers on the bottom, read by computers, and used as a label to identify a product or another item
- The store employee couldn’t find the barcode on the box to find out the price.
grocery
PODCAST #1035
“All you have to do is scan the bar codes on each grocery item.”
related to food and other household items that are sold in stores
- Can you pick up some milk and bananas at the grocery store on your way home from work?
scale
PODCAST #1035
“All you have to do is put them on the scale and find the product on the touch screen.”
balance; a device that measures the weight of a person or object
- According to this scale, I’ve gained 14 pounds. That can’t be right!
touch-screen
PODCAST #1035
“All you have to do is put them on the scale and find the product on the touch screen.”
a flat, digital screen that allows the user to provide information by touching certain parts of the screen, without needing to type anything
- The ATM uses a touch-screen interface, so you can just tap here if you want to make a deposit, or here if you want to make a withdrawal.
to bag
PODCAST #1035
“I’ll start bagging”
to place groceries or other purchased items into paper, plastic, or cloth bags so that they can be carried out of the store
- Janine always bags her groceries in reusable bags, but yesterday, she accidentally left her bags at home.
bagging area
(PODCAST #1035)
“You’re supposed to wait until everything is scanned before removing items from the bagging area to put in bags.“
the place in a store where purchased items are placed and then picked up and put into bags so that they can be taken out of the store
- It’s important to organize the bagging area so that you can pack up the heavy items first and leave the fragile items like bread and eggs for the last bag.
attendant
PODCAST #1035
”Oh no, now there’s a “see attendant” message on the screen.“
a person who provides service to customers, meeting their needs
- The flight attendant offered the passengers a variety of drinks.
to clear
PODCAST #1035
”We wait for the attendant to clear the error and void the transaction.“
to erase or delete something so that it is no longer visible, relevant, or applicable
- How can I paste this text, but clear the formatting?
to void a transaction
PODCAST #1035
”We wait for the attendant to clear the error and void the transaction.“
to undo a sale before it is final, making it as if it had never happened; to cancel a sale
- Please present your coupons first. Otherwise I’ll have to void the transaction and re-enter everything.
I’ll tell you what
PODCAST #1035
”I’ll tell you what. I’ll take half of our groceries and stand in line and you use the self-checkout.“
an informal phrase used to propose something or present an idea
- I don’t really like that paint color, but I’ll tell you what. You can paint the dining room that color if I can pick out the paint color for the living room.
sucker bet
PODCAST #1035
”That’s a sucker bet.“
a gambling offer that only a naïve, inexperienced person is likely to accept, because the investment or risk is higher than the reward or benefit
- That was a sucker bet. Why did Kile agree to it? They really tricked him.
well done
PODCAST #1035
“You’re on. Just remember that I like my steak well done.”
a way of cooking a piece of meat, especially beef, so that it is very thoroughly cooked, with no red or pink parts showing
- My grandfather always said that steaks are best served medium rare and juicy, not well done and dry.
reservations
PODCAST #1034
“I’m calling to make some changes to an existing reservation.”
the department or group of employees in a hotel, rental car company or other business that is responsible for making arrangements for future visits or use of services by customers
- The reservations staff said they don’t have any rooms available until Tuesday.
existing
PODCAST #1034
“I’m calling to make some changes to an existing reservation.”
current; in existence now; already in place
- Do we have any information technology experts on our existing staff?
reservation number
PODCAST #1034
“Certainly. Do you have the reservation number?”
a number or code assigned to a specific customer’s future visit or use of service so that it can be found quickly and easily in the computer system
- I’m sorry, but we can’t find a reservation under that name. Do you have your reservation number?
check-in
PODCAST #1034
“I’d like to change the check-in date from September 15th to September 16th.”
when one begins one’s stay at a hotel, arrives for an airplane flight, or indicate that one has arrived for another service
- Most of the conference participants have a Sunday-evening check-in so that they can get a good night’s rest before the sessions begin on Monday morning.
check-out
PODCAST #1034
“No, the check-out date will also change, from the 23rd to the 24th.”
when one ends one’s stay at a hotel or officially leaves a place providing a service
- The hotel’s check-out time is 11:00 a.m. If you stay later, you might be charged for an additional night.
party
PODCAST #1034
“Yes, there will be two people in my party, not just one.”
a group of people using some service or facility together and at the same time
- We weren’t expecting such a large party of dinner guests. Please wait at the bar until we can prepare a table for you.
courtyard
PODCAST #1034
“Yes, instead of a courtyard room, I’d like a room with a view, preferably on an upper floor.”
the open area that is surrounded by the walls of a building, usually with plants, benches, and seating areas
- The people who live in those apartments often have community barbeques and other parties in the courtyard.
room
PODCAST #1034
“Yes, instead of a courtyard room, I’d like a room with a view, preferably on an upper floor.”
the space occupied by a guest in a hotel, usually a connected bedroom and bathroom
- Each room can accommodate up to four adults.