#1004 - Being Modest and Boastful, - Ang, mater, ESL Podcast McQuillan Jeff mp3+PDF, ebook

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//-->English as a Second Language Podcastwww.eslpod.comESL Podcast 1004 – Being Modest and BoastfulGLOSSARYblowhard– a person who boasts or brags in a rude, arrogant way* James is a blowhard who thinks he should always be the center of attention.full of (oneself)– very impressed by oneself and believing that one is betterthan others in some way* Marcos is so full of himself! He thinks he’s smarter than all of us combined.to come off as– to give the impression of being a certain way; to do or saythings that give other people a certain perception of oneself, possiblyunknowingly* Heather comes off as very energetic, but really she just has a habit of talkingquickly.overconfident– believing that one is better than one actually is, especially thatone’s skills are better than they actually are.* Shane was overconfident when the competition started and didn’t try as hard ashe should have, so he ended up losing.low-key– calm, quiet, and restrained; not highly excitable, tense, or forceful* They wanted their wedding to be a low-key event, but their parents kept doingthings to make the ceremony more elaborate.timid– shy; tentative; showing a lack of confidence or bravery* Randall is very intelligent, but he’s too timid to speak up in class.modest– humble; underestimating one’s abilities or the importance of one’sachievements, or at least acting as if one has not done anything special* Linus is too modest. If you hadn’t told me, I never would have known that hewon a prestigious scholarship.self-deprecating– critical of oneself in a funny way* A lot of comics use self-deprecating humor, sharing funny stories about silly orfoolish things they have done.quiet confidence– aware of one’s abilities to do things well, but not braggingabout it to others, because one believes in oneself and doesn’t need to be thecenter of attention* In an ideal world, the employees with quiet confidence would be rewarded fortheir work, but unfortunately, only the loudest employees are recognized for theirefforts.1These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2014). Posting ofthese materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.English as a Second Language Podcastwww.eslpod.comESL Podcast 1004 – Being Modest and Boastfulto impress– to do or say things to make others notice oneself and think goodthings about oneself* We’re all impressed by the new hire’s ability to learn new skills very quickly.to stand out– to be noticed for doing something better than others or for beingdifferent than others, especially in a good way* Each year, one or two students stand out from their classmates.overbearing– too strong or forceful, having too much influence over a situationor over others* Hannah’s mother-in-law used to seem so nice, but she became veryoverbearing as soon as they had kids.to have a way with (one)– to be very good at something, but in an undefinedway; to give a very good impression* She just has a way with her, making others feel comfortable around her.to exude– to emit; to display some quality or emotion; to produce something sothat it flows from oneself* Helena was exuding happiness when she announced that she was pregnant.to resort to (doing something) –to be forced to do something that isundesirable, because no other options remain* Would you resort to stealing to feed your hungry children?to blow (one’s) own horn– to brag or boast; to say good things about oneselfor what one can do* Camilo loves to blow his own horn and tell everyone how important he is, butmost people just think it’s annoying.at loggerheads– in a disagreement or in an argument without an easyresolution; in a dispute with someone* They’ve been at loggerheads over the expansion for months now.to make the call– to make an important decision, especially when not everyoneagrees* The CEO listens to advice, but in the end, she has to make the call.quick on the uptake– understanding something very quickly; a fast learner* Normally we have to train new customer service representatives for at least twoweeks, but Mureet is really quick on the uptake and only needed three days oftraining.2These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2014). Posting ofthese materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.English as a Second Language Podcastwww.eslpod.comESL Podcast 1004 – Being Modest and BoastfulCOMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1.a)b)c)According to Hans, which candidate seems the shyest?Clark.Paul.Monique.2. What does Hans mean when he says, “Clark is the kind of person who standsout in a room and gets noticed”?a) Clark is extremely tall.b) Clark has very good posture.c) Clark attracts attention easily.______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to come off asThe phrase “to come off as,” in this podcast, means to give the impression ofbeing a certain way, or to do or say things that give other people a certainperception of oneself, possibly unknowingly: “James tries to be funny, but hecomes off as immature.” The phrase “to come by (something)” means to obtainsomething that is rare or difficult to get: “How did you come by front-row seats forthe concert?” The phrase “to come down with (something)” means to get sick:“Shane came down with a cold last week and wasn’t able to make thepresentation.” Finally, the phrase “to come down on (someone)” means tocriticize someone harshly: “Yes, she made a mistake, but you didn’t have tocome down on her so hard.”to make the callIn this podcast, the phrase “to make the call” means to make an importantdecision, especially when not everyone agrees: “Who makes the call regardingwhether or not schools stay open when there’s a snowstorm?” The phrase “tomake a good/bad call” means to make a good/bad decision: “I wish we hadn’tbought that house. It was a bad call.” The phrase “to be on call” means to have towork if/when one is needed: “Caroline doesn’t have to go to the office today, butshe’s on call in case there are any emergencies at work.” Finally, the phrase “thecall of nature” is a funny way to talk about needing to urinate or pee: “Answeringthe call of nature is so much easier for men than for women, because they canpee anywhere.”3These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2014). Posting ofthese materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.English as a Second Language Podcastwww.eslpod.comESL Podcast 1004 – Being Modest and BoastfulCULTURE NOTERésumé Padding and Résumé InflationWhen applying for a job, many people are “tempted” (made to want to dosomething one should not do) to “pad” their résumé, making their “qualifications”(the training, experience, and education that prepares one to do something)seem more impressive than they actually are. The act of “résumé padding,” alsoknown as “résumé inflation,” may take a more “benign” (not too harmful) form of“exaggerating” (making something bigger or more extreme that it really is) one’squalifications, such as stating one increased sales by 20% instead of 10%, or itmay take a more “severe” (more extreme, especially in a bad way) form such aslisting a “degree” (diploma; certificate earned from an educational institution) thatone never actually earned.Résumé inflation “made headlines” (was an important news story) in early 2012when it was discovered that several of Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson’s “bios”(biographies; brief summaries of one’s experience) stated that he a degree inaccounting and in computer science, but “in fact” (truthfully; in reality) he had onlyone degree, in accounting. He lost his job as a result of the “scandal” (a negativeoccurrence that shocks people in a bad way and generates a lot of publicinterest). Thompson was criticized for lying about his qualifications, and Yahoo!was criticized for not having performed “due diligence” (appropriate researchbefore making a major decision) when hiring a CEO.Most “HR” (human resources; the job function related to hiring and maintainingrelationships with employees) professionals have learned to expect a certainamount of résumé padding. But they also have to “guard against” (protectthemselves against) it by “verifying” (determining whether something is true)basic information on applications and “checking references” (speaking withpeople who have worked or studied with the applicant in the past).______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c4These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2014). Posting ofthese materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.English as a Second Language Podcastwww.eslpod.comESL Podcast 1004 – Being Modest and BoastfulCOMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1004 – BeingModest and Boastful.This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1004. I’m your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.Our website is ESLPod.com. Technically, it’s http://www.eslpod.com, just in caseyou were confused. What you shouldn’t be confused about is the LearningGuide. There is a Learning Guide for all of our current episodes, and you can getthem by becoming a member of ESL Podcast on our website.This episode is a dialogue between Hans and Freddie about being modest andboastful. Let’s get started.[start of dialogue]Hans: Well, I think the choice is clear. I think we should hire Clark.Freddie: To me, the choice is clear, too, but I think that choice is Paul. Both Pauland Clark are qualified for the job, but Clark is a blowhard. He was too full ofhimself.Hans: Clark may come off as a little overconfident, but he makes a goodimpression. He would make a much better rep than Paul. Paul was just too low-key and timid.Freddie: Paul wasn’t timid at all. He was modest and self-deprecating, but healso had a quiet confidence. He wasn’t trying too hard to impress, like Clark was.Hans: Clark is the kind of person who stands out in a room and gets noticed.That’s what we want in a rep trying to get new clients.Freddie: I found Clark to be overbearing. Paul, on the other hand, had a way withhim. He exuded confidence without having to resort to blowing his own horn.Hans: I see we’re at loggerheads about this. What do you suggest?Freddie: Let’s ask them both to lunch and ask Monique to join us. She’s done alot of hiring and has good judgment.5These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2014). Posting ofthese materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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