ESL Podcast 615 – Watching Daytime Talk Shows

Sally: Why are wasting your time on your day off watching these daytime talk shows?

Jerry: I think they’re entertaining.

Sally: You’ve got to be kidding. The only people who are booked as guests on those shows are losers or exhibitionists who want attention.

Jerry: No, they’re not. These shows are all about human drama and tragedy, something we can all relate to.

Sally: Give me a break! The people who appear on these shows want fame at any cost and the producers of the shows exploit¹ them for ratings². They’re full of salacious details that nobody should talk about in public, and that I certainly don’t want to hear.

Jerry: I completely disagree. If you get off your high horse for a minute, you may learn something.

Sally: Like what?

Jerry: Like how to get rid of an annoying wife and get away with it!


Script³ by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 exploit   

n.英雄行为，辉煌功绩；vt.开拓，开采，剥削

参考例句：

• Many countries exploit oil under the sea.许多国家在海底开采石油。
• We should exploit our rich resources to expand the economy.我们应该利用我们丰富的资源发展经济。

2 ratings   

n.等级( rating的名词复数 )；收视率；表示电影分级的数字（或字母）；（海军）水兵

参考例句：

• He won high ratings [marks] in all his examinations. 他所有的考试都获得高分。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The boat was operated by two naval ratings in dress whites. 船由两个穿着白色礼服的水兵驾驶。 来自辞典例句

3 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。