Fri, 11 July 2008 There is no doubt that the earth is getting warmer. It is beyond question that the earth is becoming warmer. The reasons for this are complex. The causes of this are complicated. Magnetic energy and geothermal energy play a part. Magnetic and geothermal energy figure into the equation. The earth went through climate changes before man ever existed. The earth underwent climatic changes before the advent of the human species. So humans are not totally responsible for the phenomenon. So the phenomenon cannot be totally blamed on human activity. Nevertheless we are a major contributing factor. All the same, our contribution to global warming is a major one. Our use of energy increases every day. Our consumption of energy rises daily. People create heat pollution with their automobiles. Automobiles play a large part in heat pollution. In the U.S. the auto industry fights every attempt to raise mileage standards. The auto industry in the U.S. is resistant to raising mileage standards. Toyota has lead the way in efficient engines with the Prius. Toyota's Prius has been a revolutionary advance in efficient engines. The Prius is a hybrid car with a gasoline motor and an electric motor. The combination of a gas and electric motor makes the Prius a hybrid car. People have become increasingly interested in all-electric cars. The interest in an all-electric car has gained considerable ground. A battery charge that lasts for 20 miles is enough for local streets. A charge that’s good for 20 miles is sufficient for local travel. Such a car can be relatively inexpensive. A vehicle like this shouldn't be expensive to produce. You can get a 400% efficiency gain using no new technology. There is a low-tech way to get a 400% gain in fuel efficiency. You just need four people to drive together instead of separately. It just takes having four people driving together instead of separately. We're sure to be seeing all types of innovations. We can confidently look forward to a slew of new approaches. Note: It is important for me to have an idea whether people are using the audio flashcards. Please leave a Comment on the podcast screen or write to me at info@esl-aloud.com. You just have to write a simple sentence like: "I use the cards." or "I do not use the cards." Thank you. Comments[0] |
Fri, 20 June 2008 For an explanation about two-part verbs, see www.esl-aloud.com take after Her behavior is like her mother's. She takes after her mother. take apart The mechanic disassembled the motor. The mechanic took apart the motor. The mechanic took the motor apart take back I retract what I said about Mr. Foster. I take back what I said about Mr. Foster. Did you return the car to the dealer? Did you take back the car to the dealer? Did you take the car back to the dealer? That song makes me think of my childhood. That song takes me back to my childhood. take down I wrote down everything he said. I took down everything he said. I took everything he said down. They lowered the flag at sunset. They took down the flag at sunset. They took the flag down at sunset. Mario dismantled his tent after breakfast. Mario took down his tent after breakfast. Mario took his tent down after breakfast. take for What kind of person do you think I am! What do you take me for! take in Greg lost 20 pounds and had his pants made smaller. Greg lost 20 pounds and had his pants taken in. He was a stranger and they let him stay in their home. He was a stranger and they took him in. She spoke so fast my mind couldn't absorb what she was saying. She spoke so fast I couldn't take in what she was saying. The old lady was deceived by the false advertising. The old lady got taken in by the false advertising. We spent the day looking at the sights of the city. We spent the day taking in the sights of the city. The widow did sewing for people in her home. The widow took in sewing. take off We removed our shoes before entering the mosque We took off our shoes before entering the mosque. We took our shoes off before entering the mosque. They reduced the price of the table by 20 percent. They took 20 percent off the price of the table. They took off 20 percent from the price of the table. She left without saying good-bye to anyone. She took off without saying good-bye to anyone. The sales of his book increased rapidly after his TV interview. The sales of his book took off after his TV interview. At exactly 2:15 the plane rose into the air. At exactly 2:15 the plane took off. I’m going on vacation for a week in July. I’m taking off a week from work in July. I’m taking a week off from work in July. Comments[0] |
Sat, 14 June 2008 My house is less than two hours from several theme parks. Where I live is no more than two hours from several theme parks. The most famous of these is Disneyland. Disneyland is the best known of these. I have to admit I've never gone there. I hate to say it, but I've never been there. It strikes me as being one big ad for the Disney corporation. To my mind, it is a massive ad for the Disney organization. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Disney films. Don't misunderstand me, I’ve got no problem with Disney films. But I find the intensity of the marketing by Disney to be offensive. But I am put off by the intensity of Disney's marketing. Especially because it is aimed at children. Particularly because children are the target audience. Also, I have heard that the lines for rides are endless. Also, people say that the wait times for rides are not to be believed. The one theme park I have been to is Legoland. Legoland is the one theme park I have been to. The park features exquisite constructions made with Lego blocks. A main feature of the park is beautiful Lego block constructions. Sometimes they have a cityscape like that of New York or Las Vegas. Sometimes they have the model of a city like New York or Las Vegas. My visit there was seven years ago. My visit there was seven years back. Now rides and entertainment are the big attraction. These days it's rides and entertainment that are the big draw. Tickets for theme parks are not inexpensive. Theme park tickets don't come cheap. You can expect to pay $40 to $60 per person for an all-day admission. An all-day admission goes for upwards of $40 to $60. Plus the cost of food, drinks, and souvenirs. Add to that the outlay for food, drinks, and souvenirs. Many of the parks have annual tickets. A good number of the parks offer yearly tickets. I think theme parks will suffer if the economy goes bad. My guess is the parks will not do well in a down economy. People will look for cheaper family entertainment. People will seek out less expensive family entertainment. Comments[1] |
Mon, 12 May 2008 Croatia separated from Yugoslavia in 1991. Croatia broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991. The automobile racer left the pack behind him. The automobile racer broke away from the pack. The ice cream making machine stopped working. The ice cream making machine broke down. She lost control of herself and started crying. She broke down and started to cry. We can divide this project into three phases. We can break down this project into three phases. We can break this project down into three phases. Someone smashed a window and got into my house. Someone broke into my house. It took two days to make these shoes comfortable by wearing them. It took two days to break in these shoes. It took two days to break these shoes in. It takes three weeks to train a new employee. It takes three weeks to break in a new employee. It takes three weeks to break a new employee in. China and Japan suddenly ended their talks. China and Japan broke off their talks. China and Japan broke their talks off.
A fire started burning in the driest part of the forest. A fire broke out in the driest part of the forest. When you get the measles, you become covered with spots. When you get the measles, you break out in spots. The murderer escaped from jail. The murderer broke out of jail. Maria is no longer Ken's girlfriend. Maria and Ken have broken up. The meeting ended at 4 o'clock. The meeting broke up at 4 o'clock. Comments[0] |
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[1] |
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] |
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