2010年ESL之就医和人际交往 15 Having Well- and Badly-Behaved Children_在线英语听力室

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15 Having Well- and Badly-Behaved Children

GLOSSARY

well-behaved – acting in ways that are socially appropriate and pleasing to otherpeople; following all the rules and meeting people’s expectations

* Why can’t you be well-behaved like Janet’s children? They never argue or fightwith each other.

impeccable manners – acting in ways that are perfect, with nothing to criticize;following all the rules for socially acceptable behavior

* Jeremiah has impeccable manners, always saying “excuse me,” “please,” and“thank you.”

little angel – a young child who behaves very well and is a joy to spend time with

* As long as Noah gets enough sleep, he’s a little angel. But when he gets tired,watch out!

handful – a lot of work; or something that is challenging to deal with and manage

* It’s quite a handful to go grocery shopping with three little kids under the age offive!

thank goodness – an expression used to show one’s relief, gratitude, andappreciation for something

* Thank goodness that tree didn’t hit our house when it fell down!

girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice – part of a poemmeaning that little girls are very nice to spend time with, much nicer than littleboys

* We’re hoping to have a girl, because you know what they say: Girls are madeof sugar and spice and everything nice…

to feel sorry for (someone) – to feel sympathy for a person; to feel sad or badabout the situation another person is in

* I feel sorry for Burt. It isn’t his fault he lost his job, but his wife seems to blamehim.

children should be seen but not heard – an old-fashioned belief andexpression meaning that children should be silent, not making any noise whenadults are nearby

* Their parents encourage them to talk and play, but their grandparents believethat children should be seen but not heard, so that creates problems when theygo to stay with their grandparents.

rude awakening – an unpleasant surprise; a negative experience that showshow much reality differs from what one had believed or hoped for

* Sherri thought her new job would be easy, but she was in for a rude awakening.

unruly – uncontrollable; difficult to manage or keep calm

* The teacher walked into the unruly classroom and told the students to be quietand to do their work.

(#) year(s) apart – with a certain number of years of difference between twopeople’s ages; with a certain period of time between two events

* My brother and I are 13 years apart, so we weren’t really friends when we weregrowing up.

to yell at (someone) – to shout at a person; to speak to someone in a very loudvoice, saying negative things, often when one is angry and wants to criticize theother person

* Jayden never cleans his room, no matter how much his father yells at him.

naughty – behaving poorly; doing bad things that are against the rules, usedprimarily with children

* Why did you take that toy away from the other little girl? That was a verynaughty thing to do.

sweet – nice, kind, gentle, pleasant, and calm

* Ling is a sweet girl, but I just don’t feel attracted to her romantically.

even-tempered – without rapidly changing emotions; calm; without moments ofextreme happiness, sadness, or anger

* How does Eugene stay so even-tempered? Even when everyone else is upset,he always seems calm.

ruckus – a noisy, completely confusing situation often involving an argument

* The falling stock prices caused a ruckus on Wall Street.

tooth and nail – with a lot of strength and effort; very strongly, perhaps violently

* They’re fighting tooth and nail to increase the budget for next year.

so much for (something) – a phrase used sarcastically to show that somethingdoes not apply, or that there is not very much of something

* City taxes have increased 15% since he was elected mayor. So much for hiscampaign promise to lower taxes!

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does Josephine mean when she says that Ray’s daughters have“impeccable manners”?

a) They are always very polite.

b) They are always very well-dressed.

c) They are always very quiet.

2. What does Ray mean when he says that his father was “in for a rudeawakening”?

a) His father experienced an unpleasant surprise.

b) His father was always woken up by his children too early in the morning.

c) His father thought the children were very impolite.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

handful

The word “handful,” in this podcast, means a lot of work, or something that ischallenging to deal with and manage: “Young children can be a handful, butthey’re also a source of so much joy and happiness.” A “handful” is also theamount of something that one can hold in one hand: “She added a handful ofsliced carrots to the stew.” Or, “He often eats a handful of almonds as a snack inthe afternoon.” Finally, a “handful” can be used to describe a small amount ofsomething or a small number of something: “They reserved a large conferenceroom because they thought a lot of people would attend, but only a handful ofpeople came to the meeting.”

sweet

In this podcast, the word “sweet” means nice, kind, gentle, pleasant, and calm: “Itwas very sweet of you to send flowers to my grandmother while she was in thehospital.” The word “sweet” is also used to describe the taste of sugar: “This teais really sweet! How much honey did you put in here?” The phrase “to have asweet tooth” means to enjoy desserts and other sweet foods: “Wally has a sweettooth and eats chocolate at least once a day.” The phrase “a sweet deal” is usedto describe a bargain, or a transaction where one paid a very low price: “We gota sweet deal on a used car.” Finally, “sweet nothings” are loving phrases thatpeople whisper or say to each other: “She loves it when her husband whisperssweet nothings into her ear.”

CULTURE NOTE

One popular “nursery rhyme” (a short poem that is often said or sung to babiesand young children) “dates back to” (was created in) the early 1800s. It is calledWhat Are Little Boys Made Of and it is about the differences between little girlsand little boys.

What are little boys made of?

Snakes and “snails” (small animals that carry their spiral shell homes ontheir back)And “puppy-dogs'” (baby dogs) tails,That's what little boys are made of.

In other words, boys are “associated with” (thought about in connection with)“slimy” (slightly wet and slippery) animals that most people don’t want to touch,as well as young dogs that are very active and never stop moving. Little boysenjoy getting dirty, moving around, and making a lot of noise. The nursery rhymedoesn’t mean that little boys are bad, but “rather” (instead), that they are differentfrom little girls.

The nursery rhyme “goes on” (continues) this way:

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and “spice” (powders made from plants that have strong smells andflavors and are used to make food taste better)And all that's nice,That's what little girls are made of.

According to the nursery rhyme, girls are sweet and smell good, and they’re verypleasant to be around.

This is a popular, well-known nursery rhyme and Americans sometimes “makereference to” (mention; talk about) it. You can also see the phrases printed onbabies’ clothing. Sometimes a little boy’s shirt will say “snakes, snails, andpuppy-dog tails” and a little girl’s shirt will say “sugar, spice, and all that’s nice.”

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Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 622: Having WellandBadly-Behaved Children.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 622. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com. Become a member of ESL Podcast and helpsupport our efforts. When you become a member you can download a LearningGuide, an 8- to 10-page guide we make for all of our current episodes that willhelp you improve your English even faster.

This episode is a dialogue between Josephine and Ray talking about childrenwho behave – who act in a nice way, and sometimes in a not nice way. Let’s getstarted.

[start of dialogue]

Josephine: Hello.

Ray: Hi, Josephine, it’s Ray. We have a meeting today at 10 a.m. and I waswondering if you would mind if I brought my kids with me. Their babysitter didn’tshow up.

Josephine: Oh, sure. That’s no problem. Your children are so well-behaved.

Even at their age, they have impeccable manners.

Ray: Well, they’re not always little angels, but they’re not too much of a handful,thank goodness.

Josephine: You know what they say: Girls are made of sugar and spice andeverything nice…Ray: It is probably a little easier with two girls. I feel sorry for my mother whoraised six boys.

Josephine: Six boys!

Ray: Yeah, and before we were born, my father thought that children should beseen but not heard. Was he in for a rude awakening! We were all very unruly.

Imagine six boys only one year apart. We got yelled at a lot for being naughty.

Josephine: But that’s how boys are, aren’t they? Girls are different. They’requiet, sweet, and even-tempered. What’s that noise?

Ray: That noise is my daughters creating a ruckus fighting tooth and nail over atoy. So much for quiet, sweet, and even-tempered!

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Josephine answering the telephone, “Hello.” Ray says,“Hi, Josephine, it’s Ray (meaning this is Ray calling you). We have a meetingtoday at 10 a.m. (10 o’clock in the morning) and I was wondering if you wouldmind if I brought my kids with me.” “I was wondering (I wasn’t sure) if you wouldmind (meaning if you care; if it’s important to you; if it bothers you) if I brought mykids (my children) with me. Their babysitter didn’t show up.” A “babysitter” issomeone who watches your children while you go and have a nice dinner and amovie. The expression “to show up” means to arrive, to go to some appointmentthat you have, to be somewhere that you are supposed to be.

Well, the babysitter didn’t show up, didn’t come to Ray’s house, and so now heneeds to bring the children to his business meeting. Josephine says, “Oh, sure.

That’s no problem. Your children are so well-behaved.” To be “well-behaved”

(behaved) means that you act in a way that is nice, that follows the rules, thatdoesn’t bother other people. Typically, it’s a way that we would describechildren, not adults. But, you can say “That child is very well-behaved,” meaningthey don’t yell, they don’t scream, they are very polite. Josephine says thatRay’s children are well-behaved. “Even at their age,” she says, “they haveimpeccable manners.” “Even at” in this case means surprisingly. Their age isobviously young, and yet they still have good manners. “Manners” describes theway that you act, the way that you behave. “Impeccable” means perfect, noproblems. Someone with impeccable manners is someone who always says theright thing, who does the right thing, who’s never rude, who is always polite.

Ray says, “Well, they’re not always little angels, but they’re not too much of ahandful, thank goodness.” Ray says his children are not always “little angels,”

that would be a child who behaved perfectly. An “angel” is a spirit in manyreligions that is usually described as being good, as being perfect. Unless, ofcourse, it’s a bad angel, that would be what we would call a devil. That’s also what we call some of the children who live near my house! But, back to thestory: Ray says his children are not always perfect, “they’re not always littleangels, but they’re not too much of a handful.” When we say something is a“handful” (handful) we mean they are a lot of work or it is a lot of work, somethingthat is difficult to manage. They’re not much – or too much of a handful, thankgoodness. By the way, “handful” has some other meanings that you can find inour Learning Guide. The expression “thank goodness” is used to show yourappreciation, your gratitude when you want to thank someone. Often we use it toexpress relief, meaning you think something bad is going to happen, and then itdoesn’t. We say you are relieved, you are happy the bad thing didn’t happen.

Well here, Ray says, “thank goodness,” thank goodness that his children arewell-behaved. He’s appreciating, or he is thankful for that.

Josephine says, “You know what they say: Girls are made of sugar and spiceand everything nice.” “Girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice”

means that little girls never cause problems. Ray says, “It is probably a littleeasier with two girls.” Ray obviously has two girls. He says, “I feel sorry for mymother who raised six boys.” “To feel sorry for (someone)” means that you aresympathetic; you feel sympathy, you feel sad or bad about a difficult situation thatthis other person is in.

Josephine says, “Six boys!” Ray says, “Yeah, and before we were born, myfather thought that children should be seen but not heard.” This is an oldexpression: “Children should be seen (you can see them) but not heard (youshouldn’t be able to hear them.” In other words, the children should be quiet;they should not talk. Ray says that his father, unfortunately, was in for a rudeawakening. Something that is “rude” is something that is not nice, somethingthat is unpleasant. An “awakening” is when, literally, you wake up; you’resleeping and then you wake up. A “rude awakening,” then, would be somethingthat surprises you, something very negative. You thought it was going to bepositive, but then suddenly you find out that it is very unpleasant. It’s anunpleasant surprise, a not nice surprise.

Ray says that he and his brothers were all very unruly. “To be unruly” (unruly)means difficult to manage, difficult to keep calm, uncontrollable. Again, it’s a wayyou might describe children, but you could also use this adjective to describe agroup of adults who are acting or behaving very badly, yelling and shouting andso forth. It’s often used to describe a crowd – a large group of people who arebehaving badly, kind of like at a British soccer game – something like that! Raysays, “Imagine six boys only one year apart,” meaning that one was born, forexample, in 1955, the next one was born in 1956, the next one was born in 1957, and so forth. They’re only one year apart – one-year difference in their ages. Hesays that he and his brothers got yelled at a lot for being naughty. “To yell (yell)at (someone)” means to shout at them, to say very negative things to them.

“Naughty” (naughty) is a somewhat old-fashioned word in American English; itmeans to behave badly. Typically we use this in describing children – smallchildren who are not well-behaved.

Josephine says, “But that’s how boys are, aren’t they? Girls are different.

They’re quiet, sweet, and even-tempered.” “To be sweet,” in describing aperson, could mean that they are nice, they are kind, they are pleasant. “Sweet”

has several other meanings in English, those can be found in the LearningGuide. “To be even-tempered” means that you are very calm, you don’t get veryexcited. You’re not very happy, you’re not very sad; you’re sort of very calm andrelaxed. That’s even-tempered (tempered).

Then Josephine says, “What’s that noise?” Ray says, “That noise is mydaughters creating a ruckus fighting tooth and nail over a toy.” So the twodaughters are making noise; they’re creating a ruckus (ruckus). A “ruckus” is anoisy, confusing situation. Often it’s related to an argument – a fight that twopeople are having. It could be used to describe adults as well as children.

“What’s all this ruckus in here?” a father might say to his sons who are in theirroom fighting about something. That never happened to me, of course!

Ray says that the girls are fighting tooth and nail (nail). This expression, “toothand nail,” means very strongly, perhaps violently, maybe they’re hitting each, butwith a lot of strength – a lot of effort. Usually it’s used with the verb “to fight.” Itcould be used to describe, for example, a company that is fighting tooth and nailto survive. They’re fighting very hard – they’re working very hard to survive. Rayfinally says, “So much for quiet, sweet, and even-tempered!” “So much for(something)” is a phrase that we use jokingly to show that something that youthought that was true is not true, or that there isn’t very much of something whenyou expected there to be a lot of something. It’s used, we would say,sarcastically. Ray is saying here that the daughters are not the way Josephinedescribed girls, they’re not quiet, sweet, and even-tempered. Right after theyfinished talking about how nice girls are, of course, the girls have a fight.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.