EIPOD #01 2005-08-21
Russell Stodghill

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OPENING (0:00)
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Hello from Shinjuku, Tokyo and welcome to the very first eipod podcast.
Eipod is the podcast for eigo on the go so you can practice your English
on the train, the treadmill, or the tatami.
I'm Russell and I'll be your host for your English adventure.

First today, is our news segment, which we call [FACT AND FICTION]

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FACT AND FICTION (0:28)
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This segment is called FACT AND FICTION. It is a light take on the week's news.
Some of it is true and some of it is not.

The biggest news in Tokyo recently was the biggest earthquake to hit the
metropolis in 13 years. The earthquake injured 37 people. Although the
earthquake did only minor property damage, it delayed public transportation for
hours. Not only was it difficult to travel, it was also difficult to contact
friends and family via mobile phone as the system was overwhelmed with calls.

Some interesting notes from news articles online:

During the 1995 Hanshin earthquake, the major cause of death was suffocation
caused by furniture falling on people at home, whereas the major cause of death
in the 1923 Tokyo earthquake was fire. Scientists predict that the primary cause
of death in the next major metropolitan earthquake will be boredom as electrical
devices and mobile phones become useless.

Finally, in addition to the earthquake stopping trains, buses, and highway
traffic, many people were trapped in elevators for hours. Apparently, Tokyo has
some 50,000 elevators, most of which stopped during the quake. Some of these
elevators did not start again. This led to some very awkward silences-
especially at the offices of the National Yaki-imo Association.
And in Shibuya, dozens of young girls were trapped on escalators for hours. Cho
mukatsuku.   

And that is this weeks FACT AND FICTION. Now let's review in our second segment
FACT AND DICTION.

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FACT AND DICTION (2:49)
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Here are ten key words from today's news with brief definitions and sample
sentences:

metropolis - a very large city
I live in a mid-size city now but I would rather live in a metropolis like
Tokyo.

transportation - a way for moving people and things from one place to another
Cars, buses, trains, boats, airplanes, and bicycles are all forms of
transportation.

via - by way of, through, or using
He didn't use his phone. He called his parents via the internet.

overwhelm - too big, too strong, or too much to be handled
The new employee was overwhelmed by his work and couldn't finish it.

suffocation - to die or stop from lack of air
He suffocated the fire with the blanket.

primary - the first or most important
The primary reason he left his old job was for more money at his new job.

boredom - the feeling when nothing is interesting or exciting
The retired man started studying French out of boredom.

whereas - compared to the fact that
He is very tall whereas his parents are short.

in addition - another point
In addition to being very tall, he's also very handsome.

awkward - not easy to deal with or not dealing with easily
The boy felt awkward on his first date.

These definitions are based on those given in Cambridge's Advanced Learner's
Dictionary.
This will be our first WEB RESOURCE.
You can find the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary online at
dictionary.cambridge.O R G. That's dictionary.cambridge.org.

Please go back and listen to FACT AND FICTION again. Listen for today's key
words.
If you have some paper nearby, please try listening to the FACT AND FICTION
segment again and write what you hear. You can do this as many times as you
like. Remember you have one week before the next eipod podcast, so why not try a
few sentences a day. You may check your dictation at www.eipod.net. That's www.
E I P O D . N E T or eipod.org. A full transcript of FACT AND FICTION is
available at the site as well as listening tasks for the FACT AND DICTION
segment.

Once you have finished your dictation, please practice reading aloud--but not on
the train. It is probably best to practice reading aloud at home. Your goal at
the end of the week is to be able to shadow my speaking at the same pace.

Please feel free to add you comments and questions at eipod.net

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LISTENER VOICE (7:23)
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The next segment is LISTENER VOICE
In this segment I ask students and listeners for their input. Today's big news
is the earthquake so my question was:
What were you doing when the big earthquake struck?
Here are some answers:
I was riding on the train.
I was working. I am a teacher and I was making lessons for my students.    
I saw television.
I am taking...I was taking a lobby.
I was drunk a coffee in the store.
Probably, I was taking a shower.
I slept.
Eh? Mo ikai. Ehhh.wakanai!
I escape under the desk.
uh, nandaro.
I was working.
I was chatting with my mother. Um. Just.
I was taking part in the lobby talk of Lado.
I was at home and I was watching TV with my husband in the living room.
I was chatting with my friends in my English school.
I was watching TV in my parents' house.
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LISTENER VOICE REACTION (9:00)
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Again, today the question was "What were you doing when the earthquake struck?"
Did you notice that many people started their sentence with "I was" and a verb
with "ing"? This is a great way to answer this question. This tense is called
the past progressive. We use it when we are comparing two times in the past and
this is important because we never use the past progressive by itself. It is
always compared to another time. Often one time is interrupting the other. In my
question the earthquake was interrupting what you were doing before it hit. So,
for example, I was typing when the earthquake hit. I stopped typing because the
earthquake was a little scary. I could hear the building creaking. It sounded
like an old boat. So I told you what I was doing when the earthquake hit. I ALSO
told you what I DID when the earthquake struck. I told you about my reaction.
A couple of errors to watch out for-
First, make sure your sentence is in the past.
Second, don't confuse the progressive and the passive. "I was drinking coffee."
Not "I was drunk."
Finally, what's the difference between a desk and a table? Well a table is
usually used for many things and is open on all sides. A desk is usually points
in one direction. It is usually used for one special thing like studying or
writing.

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BUZZ WORD (11:18)
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It's time for Buzz Word.
In buzz words we pick a new or newly popular word in English.

Today's buzz word is ICE. Not normal ICE like the kind we make kakikori,
snowcones, or iced tea from but the kind of ICE you find in a mobile phone. Huh?
That's right, ICE is an entry in your mobile phone's address book. ICE is an
acronym. An acronym is a word made from the first letters of a phrase. ICE comes
from the phrase: In Case of Emergency. The number under ICE is the telephone
number of the person you
want contacted if something bad happens to you. The idea of ICE became popular
after the London bombings but the idea was first suggested about a year ago.

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CLOSING (12:37)
That's it for this weeks eipod podcast. Join us again next week for more eigo on
the go. And please visit our website www.eipod.net That's E I P O D dot N E T.
See you next week.
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