Tue, 29 April 2008 Two
older women went on trial last month. Two
women in their seventies stood trial last month. Here
is their story. Here
is what happened. They made
friends with a homeless man. They
befriended a homeless man. They
helped him find a place to live. They
helped him with finding a place to live. They
gave him money for rent and food. They
contributed toward his rent and food costs. The
man considered the women to be friends. The
man looked upon the women as friends. He
wasn't at all suspicious of them. He
didn't harbor any suspicions about them. The
women took out several insurance policies on his life. The
women insured his life with a number of policies. For
two years they stayed close friends with him. They
were good friends to him for two years. One
night he was struck by a car that fled the scene. One
night he was run down by a hit-and-run driver. The
injuries were fatal. He
died from his injuries. The
women collected on the insurance policies. The
women got the proceeds of the insurance policies. Because
the policies were two years old, no one took particular notice. Since
the policies had been in force for two years, no eyebrows were raised. Six
years later, another man died in a similar accident. Six
years later, another man had a similar fatal accident. The
same two women collected on his life insurance policies. The
same two women were the beneficiaries of his life insurance policies. An
investigator found out about the similar accident six years before. An investigator heard about the similar accident six years previously.
His
work led to the women's arrest on a charge of murder. They
were tried and the jury arrived at a verdict of guilty. They
stood trial and the jury found the women guilty as charged. They
will spend the rest of their lives in jail. They
will be imprisoned for the rest of their lives. Comments[1] |
Mon, 14 April 2008 I love to see the autumn leaves coming down from the trees. I love to see the autumn leaves falling from the trees. She spoke more softly when she described the accident. Her voice fell when she described the accident. Last week the value of my stocks went down quite a bit. Last week my stocks fell sharply. Has the baby gone to sleep yet? Has the baby fallen asleep yet? As the airplane climbed, I could feel a decrease in the air pressure. As the plane climbed, I could feel the air pressure fall. Over 3,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in that battle. Over 3,000 soldiers fell in that battle. I was attracted to her the moment I saw her. I fell for her the moment I saw her. I'm surprised you were tricked by that e-mail scam. I'm surprised you fell for that e-mail scam. At the last minute, the contract did not get signed. The contract fell through at the last minute. Fewer people went to the movies when television became popular. Movie attendance fell off when television became popular. After his wife died, he could hardly function. After his wife died, he fell apart. When he lost his job, he started using his savings. When he lost his job, he fell back on his savings. Karen had a quarrel with her supervisor. Karen fell out with her supervisor. He was very lucky and found a great job. He fell into a great job. She was not getting her work done on time. She fell behind in her work. Several countries now have better health care than the U.S. The U.S. has fallen behind several countries in health care. Comments[0] |
Thu, 10 April 2008 To read the content of this podcast, go to www.esl-aloud.com and click Two-Part Verbs at the top of the screen. Comments[2] |
Mon, 24 March 2008 I try to do some reading every day. I try to get in some reading every day. I’m talking about reading a book. I’m referring to reading a book. Reading makes me feel like my brain is working. Reading gives me the feeling that my brain is on the job. No two people experience a book exactly the same way. No two people have exactly the same experience with a book. The reader and the writer are sort of partners. The reader and writer are kind of partners. The writer plants a garden and invites the reader in. The writer opens the gate to a garden he has planted. How to enjoy the garden is up to the reader. It is the reader's decision as to how to enjoy the garden. Some of the plantings in the garden he hardly notices. He hardly takes note of some of the plantings in the garden. Others he slows down for to really enjoy. Others he slows down for to savor. The reader should feel like an explorer. The reader should have a sense of being an explorer. Every book is a new adventure. Every book represents a new adventure. To access the audio flashcards for this podcast go to www.esl-aloud.com. Comments[0] |
Mon, 4 February 2008 After going through this podcast, you can get further practice with the same sentences in a free online program. For all the details, go to www.esl-aloud.com Today was a rainy day in Los Angeles. Today it was rainy in Los Angeles. Last year we got under three inches of rain. Last year we had less than three inches of rain. That makes rain a pretty unusual event. So rain is a pretty uncommon occurrence. LA is actually supposed to be a desert. In point of fact, LA is supposed to be a desert. Our water is brought in from about 400 miles north of here. Our water reaches us from about 400 miles to the north. With global warming, the water situation is getting serious. Thanks to global warming, the situation with water is getting serious. The cost of water to households is going up. The per household cost of water is on the rise. Pretty soon there may be laws about watering lawns. Before long we may see laws about watering lawns. Lawns are a terrible waste of resources in this climate. Given the climate here, lawns are a terrific waste of resources. A few people have replaced lawns with plants that flourish in dry soil. A few people have taken out their lawns and put in plants that do well in arid soil. Many of these plants are native to California. A good number of these plants are California natives. About 80% of the water used in California goes to agriculture. Agriculture accounts for about 80% of water use in California. In my opinion, the production of food is more critical than grass. What I think is that producing food is more important than having a lawn. Maybe genetic engineering will provide a solution. Perhaps genetic engineering can deliver a solution. It may be possible to develop plants that require less water. Developing plants that need less water is thinkable. It may even be possible to develop humans who require less water. Breeding humans who can live on less water is also conceivable. I'm joking and I'm not joking. I'm joking and I'm not. In any case it is something to think about. At any rate it is something to ponder. Comments[0] |
Mon, 28 January 2008 Beginning with Podcast #30, you will be able to get further practice with the sentences using a free flashcard program. For complete details, go to: www.esl-aloud.com Comments[0] |
Tue, 22 January 2008 What did you get for your birthday? I have to get some fish for dinner. He only got $50 for the work he did. He became nervous about the driving test. He got nervous about the driving test. She became sleepy. She got sleepy. If you want to become rich, you have to work hard. If you want to get rich, you have to work hard. I always become hungry around 6 o'clock. I always get hungry around 6 o'clock. These days it becomes dark around 4 o'clock. These days it gets dark around 4 o'clock. Are you becoming tired? Are you getting tired? It's going to become pretty warm today. It's going to get pretty warm today. She became fat from eating candy all the time. She got fat from eating candy all the time. My cousin becomes discouraged easily. My cousin gets discouraged easily. The store becomes busy at lunchtime. The store gets busy at lunchtime. The student who was sick was sent home. The student who was sick got sent home. The mail is usually delivered by noon. The mail usually gets delivered by noon. He was dropped off at work by his wife. He got dropped off at work by his wife. She was admitted into the Spanish program. She got admitted into the Spanish program. The boy was taken to the hospital. The boy got taken to the hospital Were you invited to the party? Did you get invited to the party? The meeting was postponed until Tuesday. The meeting got postponed until Tuesday. Make sure the books are returned to the library. Make sure the books get returned to the library. The furniture was ruined in the flood. The furniture got ruined in the flood. I am sure his complaints will be ignored. I an sure his complaints will get ignored. He received the highest grade in the class. He got the highest grade in the class. Children today seem to become bored very easily. Children today seem to get bored very easily. The soldier was wounded in the arm. The soldier got wounded in the arm. The meal was ruined by the loud music. The meal got ruined by the loud music. I am sure you will find a good job. I am sure you will get a good job. Why do you become so annoyed all the time? Why do you get so annoyed all the time? My letter was returned by the post office. My letter got returned by the post office. Comments[0] |
Sun, 6 January 2008 A bank robber walked into a bank. A bank robber entered a bank. He looked around. He took a look around. He saw there weren't many customers. He saw the place was pretty empty. He walked up to a teller. He went to a teller's window. The robber gave the teller a piece of paper. The robber handed the teller a slip of paper. The teller read what was on the paper. The teller read what was written there. She looked up at the man. She raised her eyes and looked at the man. She could see he was serious. She could see he meant business. She opened a drawer. She opened up a drawer. She began putting money on the counter in front of her. She started placing money on the counter in front of her. Every few seconds she moved the money toward the man. Every few seconds or so she slid the money toward the man. The robber dropped each batch of bills into a briefcase. The robber slid each batch of bills into a briefcase. After a little while he told the teller to stop what she was doing. After a bit he told the teller to stop. He turned and headed for the front door of the bank. He turned around and moved toward the front door of the bank. A bank guard started walking toward the robber. A bank guard began moving toward the robber. The robber started walking faster. The robber picked up his pace. The guard called out to him to stop. The guard called out for him to hold up. The robber reached into a coat pocket. The robber placed a hand into a coat pocket. The guard extended a hand toward the robber. The guard reached out a hand toward the robber. The guard said: "I think you dropped this." The guard said: "Here is something I think you dropped." In the guard's hand was a $20 bill. The guard was holding a $20 bill. The robber took the bill, thanked the guard and left. The robber accepted the bill, said thanks, and exited the bank. Comments[0] |
Mon, 3 December 2007
In
this lesson you will hear two dialogs about borrowing money and paying
interest. The second dialog contains all of the ideas in the first dialog but
uses different words. After
you hear each dialog, it will be repeated three times with a pause after each
sentence so you can repeat it. A: I took out a loan for $1500 (fifteen hundred
dollars). B: What rate of interest are you paying? A: I got it for 8 % (8 percent). B: Eight percent interest sounds high. Couldn't
you do any better? A: I looked everywhere. It's the best I could
do. A: I got a $1500 (fifteen hundred dollar) loan. B: What rate of interest did you get? A: I’m paying 8% (percent) interest. B: Eight percent interest doesn't sound so good.
Couldn't you find a better deal? A: I called around. It's the best deal I could
make. Comments[2] |
Tue, 27 November 2007 Spoken directions: In this podcast you will first hear a short monolog about a job application and references. References are people who can describe what kind of person you are or what kind of work you have done. After listening to the monolog, you will hear it again, one sentence at a time. Repeat each sentence. We will do the whole monolog this way three times, so that the language can really plant itself in your brain. The idea is that it will still be there when you want to use it sometime in the future. Monolog: I'm filling out an application for a new job. I'm not sure who to give as a reference. They usually get in touch with at least one reference. So you want references to say good things about you. But a reference on an application shouldn't be just a friend. References on applications should be people who know how you work. And the longer a reference has known you, the better. Comments[0] |
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ESL Aloud Guided practice in speaking English
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