2010年ESL之就医和人际交往 20 Sharing With Others

 

20 Sharing With Others

GLOSSARY

to share – to let someone else use or have part of what one has

* I accidentally left my lunch at home today. Would you please share your lunchwith me?

to divvy up – to divide items into two or more groups; to decide how somethingwill be shared or distributed among two or more people

* After their parents died, the adult children spent a lot of time arguing about howthey should divvy up the house, cars, and paintings.

hold your horses – an informal phrase used to ask someone to wait or be morepatient

* Hold your horses! There’s plenty of time to answer your questions, but I cananswer only one at a time.

to get (one’s) fair share – to receive the full amount that one should receive; toreceive the right portion

* If you’re a 50% owner of the company, you should get 50% of the profits whenit is sold. You need to make sure you get your fair share.

to call dibs – to be the first person to claim something, so that one has the rightto do or use it and the other person cannot, or has to wait until one has finished

* Emmy called dibs on the window office before anyone else had even seen it.

you snooze, you lose – an informal phrase meaning that one waited too long todo or say something, so it is no longer available, usually because another personhas done or said it first

* - I was going to eat that piece of cheesecake for dessert!

* - You snooze, you lose. I saw it in the fridge, so I decided to eat it.

fair – right, just, and reasonable; treating people equally or in the same way,without giving preference to anyone

* The students are complaining that their teacher isn’t fair when he grades theirtests.

bummer – an informal word used to show disappointment; too bad

* I spilled coffee all over my new white blouse. What a bummer!

pile – a stack; a group of things that are put on top of each other without verymuch order or care

* Pick up that pile of dirty laundry and put it in the washing machine!

equal – with the same size or amount

* Four quarters are equal to 10 dimes.

lion’s share – the larger part of something; the majority; more than 50%

* Even though many factors contributed to the problem, the marketingdepartment received the lion’s share of the blame.

to tell – to let someone know about something bad that another person hasdone, especially when children are talking to adults

* I saw you eat all those cookies, and I’m going to tell!

to call shotgun – to be the first one to say that one will ride in the frontpassenger seat of a car, because most people prefer to sit in the front rather thanin the back seats

* Jung always calls shotgun, because he gets carsick if he sits in the back.

to cross (one’s) heart and hope to die – to promise; an informal phrase oftenused by children to show that they are sincere and really mean what they aresaying

* - Do you promise to go to my baseball game on Thursday?

* - Yes, of course! Cross my heart and hope to die.

to even out – to make something equal in size or amount

* My hair seems longer on the right side than on the left. Could you please cut itand even it out for me?

to push (one’s) luck – to ask for too much; to ask for too many things

* Oscar wants to ask his boss for a higher salary, but he thinks that after getting araise six months ago, that might be pushing his luck.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What is Julia doing when she divvies up the candy?

a) She’s cutting it into smaller pieces.

b) She’s counting how many pieces there are.

c) She’s putting all the pieces in two piles.

2. What does “calling shotgun” mean?

a) Aiming a toy gun at drivers.

b) Sitting in the front passenger seat.

c) Choosing which radio station to listen to.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

fair

The word “fair,” in this podcast, means right, just, and reasonable, or treatingpeople equally or in the same way, without giving preference to anyone: “It isn’tfair to make your husband wash the dishes and sweep the floors while you sitand watch TV.” The phrase “fair enough” means okay or alright and is used toshow that one agrees with something: “When I told Becky that I would work herhours this week if she would work mine next week, she said, ‘Fair enough.’” Theword “fair” also describes the coloring of a person who has very light skin andusually light blonde or red hair: “Merlie is very fair, so she has to wear a lot ofsunscreen whenever she goes outside.” Finally, the phrase “to give (someone) afair shake” means to give someone an equal opportunity or equal consideration:

“We try to give all the applicants a fair shake during the interview process.”

pile

In this podcast, the word “pile” means a stack, or a group of things that are put ontop of each other without very much order or care: “Could you please put that pileof newspapers in the recycling bin?” The phrase “a pile of (something)” means alot of something: “We have a pile of reports that are due at the end of eachquarter.” The phrase “at the bottom of the pile” describes the least importantthing, or the thing with the lowest priority: “Henrietta has a lot of things to do, andcleaning the house is at the bottom of the pile.” Finally, when talking aboutcarpet or rugs, “pile” refers to the length of the threads on the top surface: “I lovethe way this carpet pile feels when I walk on it barefoot!”

CULTURE NOTE

Many young children “struggle” (have a hard time doing something) to share theirtoys with friends. They become very “possessive” (wanting to own somethingfully, without sharing it with others) of their toys and “throw tantrums” (scream,yell, kick, cry, and lose control) when other people want to touch or play withthem. This is a normal part of a child’s “development” (the way a child changesas he or she grows older), but American parents tend to want to teach theirchildren to share.

Many Americans believe that getting angry at their children for not sharingdoesn’t work. So instead of punishing bad behavior, they often try to “praise”

(say good things about) “positive” (good) “behavior” (actions; how someoneacts). If they see their child share a toy with someone, they might say, “I reallylike the way you shared your toy with Jaime.” And if the child doesn’t share thetoy, the parent might just use “distraction” (changing the focus of one’s attention)“techniques” (ways of doing something) to try to “defuse the situation” (makethings calmer and less tense).

Parents of “toddlers” (two- and three-year-old children) sometimes use “babysteps” (in small ways, doing only part of something at once) to try to teach theirchildren how to share. Instead of expecting their child to share a favorite toy doll,they might say, “Could you please show your doll to Meghan?” without expectingthe child to let Meghan play with it.

Once children are older, parents expect them to become better at sharing. If anolder child “refuses” (will not do something) to share, the parents might punishthe child by taking away the thing that the child doesn’t want to share for acertain period of time.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – b

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast episode 641: Sharing WithOthers.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 641. 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. Download a Learning Guide for this episode onour website.

This episode is called “Sharing With Others.” It’s a dialogue between Benny andJulia with a lot of vocabulary related to sharing things with other people. Let’s getstarted.

[start of dialogue]

Benny: Mom says we’re supposed to share.

Julia: I know. I’m divvying up the candy right now. Just hold your horses.

Benny: I want to do it. I want to make sure I get my fair share.

Julia: I called dibs on dividing up the candy, remember? You snooze you lose.

Benny: That’s not fair! I wasn’t here when Mom came home.

Julia: Bummer for you. Okay, I’m done. Here’s your share and here’s mine.

Benny: Hey, the two piles aren’t equal. You definitely got the lion’s share. Youdo that to me every time. That’s not fair!

Julia: What are you going to do about it?

Benny: I’m going to tell!

Julia: You’re such a baby. Okay, if you don’t run to Mom, I’ll let you call shotgunthe next time we go anywhere in the car.

Benny: You will? You promise?

Julia: I cross my heart and hope to die. Okay?

Benny: All right, but I still want my fair share of the candy.

Julia: Okay, I’ve evened out the piles. Satisfied?

Benny: Yeah. And can I do the divvying up next time?

Julia: Don’t push your luck!

[end of dialogue]

Benny and Julia are clearly children in our dialogue. Benny says to Julia, “Momsays we’re supposed to share.” Of course he says that Mom says, that gives himsome authority. “To share” means to let someone else have or use somethingthat belongs to you, or part of something that belongs to you.

Julia says, “I know. I’m divvying up the candy right now. Just hold your horses.”

“To divvy (divvy) up” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to divide something orgroup of something into two smaller groups or three smaller groups – at leasttwo. You’re deciding how something is going to be shared or distributed. It couldbe money; here it’s candy. You could also talk about divvying up the work on aproject: I’ll do this part, you do that part. Julia tells Benny to just hold his horses.

“To hold your horses” is an informal phrase used to ask someone to be morepatient, to wait. It’s sort of a thing that you would say to perhaps a friend, afamily member. It’s also implying that you are being impatient. If someonekeeps asking you questions over and over again, and they don’t stop, and youtell them, “Just hold your horses, will you?” you’re saying, in a way, stopbothering me so much, wait, I’ll tell you when I’m ready. That’s the idea here.

Benny says, “I want to do it (meaning I want to divvy up the candy). I want tomake sure I get my fair share.” “To get your fair (fair) share” means to geteverything that you should receive, that you’re supposed to receive; to get whatis, we would say, coming to you – that is, what belongs to you or should belongto you.

Julia says, “I called dibs on dividing up the candy, remember? You snooze youlose.” “To call dibs” (dibs) is a very common phrase used especially by children.

It means I get to use this thing, or I get to have this thing, and you cannot have it.

For example, you are renting a hotel room with a friend and there are two beds.

You walk into the hotel room and you say, “I call dibs on the bed near thewindow.” Notice the preposition “on,” which usually appears after this phrase.

Julia says, “I called dibs on dividing up the candy.” “Dividing” here is the sameas “divvying up.” To call dibs is something children do a lot. For example, if youare driving in a car and there are several children, as was the case when I was achild, if there were five or six, even seven of us going in the car, someone wouldcall dibs on the front seat. They would say, “I get to go to the front seat.” This istypically done before the action is going to take place – that is, before the event.

Although mostly popular among children, this expression is still heard amongadults today. I’ve heard it; probably used it!

Julia says to Benny, “You snooze you lose,” you can also say “if you snooze youlose.” “To snooze” (snooze) means to fall asleep. The idea of “you snooze youlose” means that if you are late or if you wait too long you may miss theopportunity to do something or to get something. So, if the children come homeand there’s a cake or a pie sitting on the table and the children immediately goand cut themselves a piece, then another child comes five minutes later andthere’s no more cake or pie left, one of the children may say to the person – tothe kid who arrived late, “You snooze you lose.” You were late therefore youmissed the opportunity to do something, or in this case, to eat something.

Julia was the first to call dibs on divvying up the candy, and now it’s too late forBenny to say that he wants to do it. Benny says, “That’s not fair (that’s not right;that’s not reasonable)!” “Fair” (fair) has a lot of different meanings, some ofthose can be found in our Learning Guide. Benny says, “I wasn’t here whenMom came home.” In other words, when the candy arrived he wasn’t there tocall dibs. Julia says basically that’s too bad; she says, “Bummer for you.” A“bummer” (bummer) is a popular informal word used to show disappointment.

It’s the same as “too bad,” but it’s a little more informal. You still hear thisexpression, or this word quite a bit. I don’t think it is as popular as it was maybe20-25 years ago, but you will still hear it quite a bit. “That’s a bummer,” you couldsay, or simply, “bummer.”

In this case, Julia says, “Bummer for you. Okay, I’m done. Here’s your shareand here’s mine.” Benny says, “Hey, the two piles aren’t equal.” A “pile” (pile) isa group of things, one on top of the other. You could have a pile of clothing: youput a shirt and then on top of that you put some pants and then socks and thenunderwear and so forth. That would be a pile of clothing. You could have a pileof newspapers, or a pile of papers on your desk. This is a pile of candy, but thepiles are not equal. “Pile” has a couple of other meanings as well. Once again,the Learning Guide will help you with those. “To be equal” means to be thesame, and what Benny is saying is that his pile of candy is obviously not as bigas Julia’s pile. Then he also complains that Julia definitely got the lion’s share.

A “lion” is an animal; you’ve probably seen them on television or in a zoo. The “lion’s share,” however, means the larger part of something, the majority, morethan 50 percent. Julia and Benny, in other words, did not split the candy equally– I should say Julia did not split it equally. She gave herself the lion’s share – thebiggest part.

Benny says, “You do that to me every time. That’s not fair!” Julia says, “Whatare you going to do about it (how are you going to change the situation)?” Bennysays, “I’m going to tell!” “To tell,” in this dialogue, means to let someone knowabout something bad the other person has done. This is typically – this meaningis typically one you would find among children. If a little child says, “I’m going totell,” he means I’m going to tell on you; I’m going to tell Mom or Dad that you didsomething wrong.

Julia says, “You’re such a baby. Okay, if you don’t run to Mom (if you don’t gotell Mom what I did), I’ll let you call shotgun the next time we go anywhere in thecar.” “To call shotgun” (shotgun – one word) means to say that you are going toride in the front seat of the car – not the driver’s seat, but the other seat, whichwe sometimes call the shotgun seat. I’m not sure exactly why. I guess if youwere going hunting or going to kill someone, the person who wasn’t driving wouldbe holding the gun. That’s all I can think of. In any case, “to call” is the samehere as “to call dibs on.” “To call shotgun” means I get to sit in the front of thecar. Again, it’s something that you would find especially among children, butadults could use this expression as well. “To call” means I get to do that, and thefirst person who calls shotgun is the person who gets to ride in the front seat.

Julia says that she will let Benny sit in the front seat next time. Benny says, “Youwill? You promise?” Julia responds, “I cross my heart and hope to die.” “Tocross your heart and hope to die” is a promise; it’s an informal phrase, againoften used by children to show that they are being honest, that they really meanwhat they are saying. “I cross my heart and hope to die,” you’re saying you mustbelieve me, I am telling you the truth.

Benny says, “All right, but I still want my fair share of the candy.” Julia says,“Okay, I’ve evened out the piles.” “To even out” is a phrasal verb meaning tomake two things equal in size; in this case, the two piles of candy. Then Juliasays, “Satisfied?” meaning are you happy now, are you satisfied Benny. Bennysays, “Yeah. And can I do the divvying up next time?” So now he’s asking forsomething else; he wants to be the one to divide the candy the next time there iscandy. Julia says, “Don’t push your luck!” “To push your luck” is a phrasemeaning to ask for too much, to ask for too many things especially after you havealready asked for something. So you go to your boss and you say, “Boss, I wanta raise: a dollar an hour.” The boss says, “Okay.” And then you say, “I also want two more weeks of vacation.” Your boss may say, “Don’t push your luck,”

meaning you’ve already asked for something, don’t keep asking for somethingelse.

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

[start of dialogue]

Benny: Mom says we’re supposed to share.

Julia: I know. I’m divvying up the candy right now. Just hold your horses.

Benny: I want to do it. I want to make sure I get my fair share.

Julia: I called dibs on dividing up the candy, remember? You snooze you lose.

Benny: That’s not fair! I wasn’t here when Mom came home.

Julia: Bummer for you. Okay, I’m done. Here’s your share and here’s mine.

Benny: Hey, the two piles aren’t equal. You definitely got the lion’s share. Youdo that to me every time. That’s not fair!

Julia: What are you going to do about it?

Benny: I’m going to tell!

Julia: You’re such a baby. Okay, if you don’t run to Mom, I’ll let you call shotgunthe next time we go anywhere in the car.

Benny: You will? You promise?

Julia: I cross my heart and hope to die. Okay?

Benny: All right, but I still want my fair share of the candy.

Julia: Okay, I’ve evened out the piles. Satisfied?

Benny: Yeah. And can I do the divvying up next time?

Julia: Don’t push your luck!

[end of dialogue]

It’s never a bummer to listen to the scripts written by our wonderful scriptwriter,Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us again on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2010 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.