#ESL Podcast 230 – A New Year’s Cruise##GLOSSARY**New Year’s Eve –** the holiday celebrated on December 31; the night before theNew Year (January 1)*Normally their children go to bed early, but on New Year’s Eve they’re allowedto stay up until midnight.**harbor –** an area of ocean water near the land that has strong walls to protectboats from bad weather*The storm destroyed the boats that were on the ocean, but the boats in theharbor weren’t damaged at all.**cruise –** a relaxing journey on the ocean, usually for a vacation*After they were married, they went on a two-week cruise in the Caribbean.**fireworks –** small objects that explode in the sky with a loud noise, producingbright lights in many colors, usually used for celebrations*Many American towns and cities use fireworks to celebrate the country’sIndependence Day on the fourth of July.**marina –** a harbor (an area of ocean water near the land that has strong walls toprotect boats) that is built especially for small boats, often with wooden walkwaysover the water to get access to the boats.*Pedro and his uncle often fish in the marina where the fish are used to smallboats coming and going.**to board –** to get on a ship, airplane, bus, train, or another large vehicle for manypeople*Melissa was a little bit nervous as she boarded a plane for the first time.**this was no... –** this was not a...*He took a long time getting dressed, because he knew that this was no ordinaryday.**boat –** a vehicle that floats and moves on the water and carries people or cargo(good and products)*During the summer, they take their boat to the lake every weekend.**upper / lower –** located above (upper) or below (lower) something else*Unlike the lower floors, the upper floors of this office building have wonderfulviews of the city.**deck –** a floor or level of a ship or bus*Some busses in London have two decks. Tourists like to sit on the top deck sothat they can see the city.**crew –** the staff or workers on a boat or ship*Did all members of the crew return to the ship by 5 p.m.?**on board –** on or inside a boat, ship, airplane, train, or bus*Move aside, please, so everyone can get on board.**life jackets –** vests (jackets with no arms) that people wear so that they will floatif they fall into the water, usually filled with air or other material*These boats are supposed to have enough life jackets for everyone on board.**captain –** the highest-ranking (most important and powerful) member of thecrew; the person who leads, runs, or manages everything on a boat or ship*It looks like a bad storm is coming! Does the captain seem worried about it?**passenger –** a person or guest traveling on a boat, ship, airplane, train, or bus*Their boat is small and can only hold seven passengers.**seasick –** a bad feeling in one’s stomach and dizziness caused by being onmoving water, usually when one is on a boat or ship*Andrea gets seasick very easily, so she always has to take a pill before shesteps onto a boat.**Coast Guard –** a part of the U.S. military that protects the people and land alongthe country’s coasts (where water and land meet)*Our boat’s motor stopped working while we were a mile from land, so we had towait for the Coast Guard to come help us.**on shore –** on land; off of a boat or ship*Do you know what time we’ll be able to go on shore?**to walk the plank –** to walk down a long, flat piece of wood that goes out from aship over the water; in stories, pirates (thieves in ships who steal from other shipsand boats) made people walk down the long, flat piece of wood to their death*In many movies about pirates, a beautiful young woman is forced to walk theplank, but someone always saves her before she falls into the water.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why did the friends decide to take a harbor cruise on New Year’s Eve?a) Because they didn’t get invited to any parties.b) Because it’s how they celebrate the holiday every year.c) Because they wanted to try something new.2. The cruise was:a) On the ocean near the city.b) On a lake near the city.c) On a river that runs through the city.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?cruiseThe word *“cruise,”* in this podcast, means a relaxing journey in a luxurious orfancy boat: “He asked her to marry him while they were on a romantic harborcruise.” As a verb, *“to cruise”* can mean to take a cruise: “They saw a lot ofmonkeys while they were cruising down the Amazon River.” The verb *“to cruise”*can be used informally to mean to move in a car at a constant speed: “They werecruising at 85 miles per hour when they were stopped by a police officer forspeeding.” Many cars have *“cruise control,”* which is a small button near thesteering wheel that the driver can turn on to have the car maintain a constantspeed without the driver having to constantly step on the gas or brake pedals.boardIn this podcast, the verb *“to board”* means to get onto a boat, ship, airplane, train,or bus: “When he boarded the bus, he was disappointed to see that there weren’tany empty seats.” To be *“on board”* means to be on a boat, ship, airplane, train,or bus: “They had planned to be on board the 7:00 train, but there weren’t anyseats.” As a noun, a *“board”* is a long, flat piece of wood that is used to buildfloors, fences, walls, and other things: “He bought some wooden boards to builda doghouse.” *“Boards”* are also used for equipment used in some sports, suchas snowboarding or surfing: “Surfing can be dangerous if the board hits you onthe head.” A *“board”* is also a group of people who lead an organization: “Thismonth, the board of directors is deciding whether it will sell the company.”##CULTURE NOTEIn the United States, many people enjoy owning a boat and using it with theirfamilies on the weekends, boating on the country’s lakes, rivers, and “coastalwaters” (the ocean water near land). However, owning a boat is a bigresponsibility and there are many boating laws in the U.S. The laws are differentin each state, but they have many things in common.Many boating laws are related to safety. Most states have laws requiring that lifejackets or specific safety equipment be carried on the boat. There are also lawsabout using lights at night and *“minimizing”* (keeping low) noise. In addition,there are laws that *“prohibit”* (not allow) people from driving a boat if they are*“drunk”* or drank too much alcohol.The owners of boats with *“motors”* (a machine that moves a vehicle) and largeboats without motors usually need to register their boats with the stategovernment. This usually requires presenting identification, proof that you ownthe boat, and an *“annual fee”* (a payment of money made every year).Often the boat *“operators”* (the people who drive a boat) must have a boating*“license,”* a document that permits them to drive a boat. Whether someoneneeds a license depends on the type of the boat and the speed of the boat. Thelaws and the requirements to get a license *“vary”* or are different by state, butthey all require that a person pass a test about boat laws. Getting a license alsomay require taking a class about boat safety.Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a##COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to number 230: A New Year’sCruise.This is episode 230. I'm your host, Dr.Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California. Today we have a special New Year's edition ofESL Podcast. Our topic today is going to be talking about “A New Year’sCruise.”Remember to visit our website at eslpod.com. There you can download theLearning Guide for this episode that contains all of the vocabulary, samplesentences, additional vocabulary and a complete transcript of this podcast. Nowlet's get started.[start of story]My friends and I decided to do something a little different this year. Instead ofgoing to a crowded club or throwing a party on New Year’s Eve, we decided totake a harbor cruise instead. The cruise would be four hours long, and itincluded dinner, music, dancing, and a great view of the fireworks.On that day, we drove to the marina and we were among the first to board theship. This was no little boat. It was a large ship with an upper and a lower deck.The crew helped us get on board and showed us where the life jackets were incase of an emergency. Even the captain came out to welcome the passengers.We had a great time. I didn’t get seasick as I’d feared, and we didn’t have to callout the Coast Guard, either. We had so much fun, we didn’t want to go back onshore. Finally, the captain joked that if we didn’t leave, he’d make us walk theplank![end of story]Today, we learned what Lucy and her friends did on New Year's Eve; they wenton a New Year's Cruise. A cruise, *“cruise,”* is usually a relaxing trip that you takeon an ocean, usually for a vacation. Here in Los Angeles, you can take a cruisedown to Mexico - down to the Baja region of Mexico. You can also take a cruiseto Hawaii, which will take you a couple of days, and you go on a very large ship.Well, this is a cruise not of Hawaii or down to Mexico; this was just a short cruisethat Lucy and her friends went on. I, apparently, was not invited, which is a littlesad!Lucy says that her friends and she “decided to do something a little different thisyear. Instead of going,” she says, “to a crowded club or throwing a party on NewYear’s Eve,” they *“decided to take a harbor cruise instead.”* Normally on NewYear’s Eve, which is the evening before New Year’s - the evening of December31st - they go to a club, which would be a dance club - a place to dance to music- or they throw a party. Notice the expression to throw, *“throw,”* a party, means toput on a party - to have a party at your house or your apartment. But instead ofdoing those things, they *“decided to take a harbor cruise.”*The harbor, *“harbor,”* is an area in the ocean that is next to the land. Usually ithas walls that are built to protect the boats and the ships. So, it's the placewhere you can think of the boats and ships parking; it's sort of a parking lot onthe water for ships and boats.The harbor cruise then was a cruise on a boat around the harbor - around theother boats. Usually those are short cruises; in this case, I believe it was “fourhours long.” The cruise “included dinner, music, dancing, and a great view of thefireworks.” The fireworks, *“fireworks,”* (always plural) are little things that youshoot up into the air and they explode and you see a light. Fireworks are verycommon for many celebrations - big celebrations: the Fourth of July - and insome cities, there are fireworks on New Year's Eve. In Los Angeles, there areplaces that have fireworks on New Year's Eve.Lucy says that on the day of New Year's Eve, they “drove to the marina and wereamong the first to board the ship.” The marina, *“marina,”* is a harbor that is builtespecially for smaller boats, and usually there are walkways - sort of woodensidewalks - to walk out and get on the boat. We have a very large marina here inLos Angeles called Marina del Rey - the Marina of the King - and the marina hasfireworks, where they have fireworks out over the ocean or near the ocean.Lucy says that she and her friends were *“the first to board the ship.”* To board,*“board,”* means to get on a ship or an airplane. You can also board a train or abus. Anything that carries a lot of people, we say that you board. So, if you're atthe airport and they say, *“The flight will be boarding in ten minutes,”* that meansthat people will be getting on the plane in ten minutes. So, don't go and buysome coffee, you may miss your flight - you may not get on the plane in time!Lucy and her friends boarded the ship. She says, *“This was no little boat.”* “Thiswas no” is another way of saying this was not a little boat. This is a somewhatdifficult expression, *“this was no.”* It's used before an object - a noun - in asentence without any articles - without any indefinite articles, like *“a”* or *“and”* ordefinite articles, like *“the.”* You can say, *“This was no little boat,”* meaning thiswas not a little boat. But, if you use the word *“a”* or *“the,”* you would have to say,*“not.”* *“This was no little boat,”* *“This was not a little boat,”* notice the difference.A boat, *“boat,”* is something that floats on the water. It stays on top of the waterand you can get into it and you can move across the water. If it's a very largeboat, we often call that a ship, *“ship.”* So, Lucy says in the story here that “Thiswas no little boat. It was a large ship with an upper and a lower deck.” Thedeck, *“deck,”* of a ship is the level - think of it as the floor of the ship, so therecould be more than one level - more than one floor. We also use that term if youare talking about a bus. If the bus is what we would call a double decker thatmeans it has two decks. These are, or were, popular in London; I'm not sure ifthey still are. If you go to London, you can probably find a double decker bus - abus with two decks. The top deck is called the upper deck, and the bottom iscalled the lower deck.Well, this is a large ship. *“The crew helped”* Lucy and her friends *“get on board.”*The crew, *“crew,”* are the people who work on the boat - the staff of the boat orthe ship. To help someone get on board means to get inside the boat, or a planeor a train. So, they helped them *“get on board”* - they helped them board wouldbe the same meaning - *“and showed us where the life jackets were.”*When you go on a ship, they usually have - in fact, they have to have, accordingto most state laws, some sort of life jacket. A life jacket is usually just a vest, notan actual jacket; it is like a jacket with no sleeves for the arms, and it floats. So,in case the boat has a problem and you have to go out into the water, even if youcan't swim, if you have a life jacket you can still survive - you can still float on topof the water. So, they showed Lucy and her friends the life jackets in case therewas an emergency.*“Even the captain came out to welcome the passengers.”* The captain, *“captain,”*is the person who is in charge of - who is the head of the ship; we call thatperson the captain. So, *“the captain came out,”* meaning he went outside andgreeted - said hello to the people who were getting on the boat; we would callthose people the passengers. A passenger, *“passenger,”* is anyone who travelson a boat or a ship, an airplane, a train, a bus - any of those things, you can callthe people passengers.You can even talk about a passenger in a car. We often use the term “thepassenger side,” which in an American car would be on the right side of the car.In a car in Great Britain, it would be on the left side.Lucy said she and her friends *“had a great time.”* They *“didn't get seasick.”* Toget seasick, *“seasick,”* means to get sick because of the motion of the water.The words sea, *“sea,”* is another word for an ocean - it's like an ocean. So,seasick is getting sick, usually to your stomach. You may even get a little dizzy ifyou are on the water.Lucy jokes that they *“didn’t have to call out the Coast Guard, either.”* The Coast,*“Coast,”* Guard, *“Guard,”* is part of the United States military. They are thepeople who protect the coasts of the United States, which are the part where thecountry is next to an ocean; that would be the coast. Here in Los Angeles, we'reon the West Coast; New York City is on the East Coast.So, the Coast Guard was not called, meaning they didn't have any emergencies.She said that she and her friends “had so much fun, we didn’t want to go back onshore.” To go on shore, *“shore,”* means to leave the boat and go back on land.*“Finally,”* Lucy says, *“the captain joked that if”* they *“didn't leave”* the ship, “he’dmake” them *“walk the plank!”* The expression to walk the plank is an old one thatyou sometimes see in movies about pirates - thieves - people who steal fromother ships and boats. A plank, *“plank,”* is a long piece of wood. In the old days,especially in the movies, if you were somehow caught by the pirates - the thieves- you might be forced to walk out on a long piece of wood and, of course, jumpoff - you would have to die in the ocean. So, the expression here by the captainis a joke, saying well, if you don't leave, I'll make you walk the plank, just like thepirates did.If you've seen the famous movie, *“Pirates of the Caribbean,”* we call it in English,with that really ugly actor - what's his name? Johnny Depp, I think he callshimself - then you know what I'm talking about. I'm just kidding, of course!Now let's listen to the story, this time at a native rate of speech.[start of story]My friends and I decided to do something a little different this year. Instead ofgoing to a crowded club or throwing a party on New Year’s Eve, we decided totake a harbor cruise instead. The cruise would be four hours long, and itincluded dinner, music, dancing, and a great view of the fireworks.On that day, we drove to the marina and we were among the first to board theship. This was no little boat. It was a large ship with an upper and a lower deck.The crew helped us get on board and showed us where the life jackets were incase of an emergency. Even the captain came out to welcome the passengers.We had a great time. I didn’t get seasick as I’d feared, and we didn’t have to callout the Coast Guard, either. We had so much fun, we didn’t want to go back onshore. Finally, the captain joked that if we didn’t leave, he’d make us walk theplank![end of story]The script for today's podcast was written by - who else? Dr. Lucy Tse.That's all we have time for. From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.Thank you for listening. We'll see you next time on ESL Podcast. is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.

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