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English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests GLOSSARY to rise up against – to rebel; to fight against; to start a revolution * Why didn’t the slaves rise up against their owners? dictator – a political leader who has complete or total control and does not consult or listen to others * The best CEOs always ask for others to be involved and never act like dictators within their company to rally – to gather and assemble, especially to show support for or opposition to something * The university students are rallying against gun violence media blackout – a period of time when the media (newspapers, television, magazines, radio, and websites) are not allowed to discuss or report on a particular topic * During a hostage situation, a media blackout can help to make sure that the bad guys don’t get the attention they’re hoping to get protester – a person who is fighting against a social issue, usually by standing in a public area and shouting or singing while holding up signs * It’s hard to believe Shannon was a protestor in the 1960s She seems so quiet and conservative now to clash – to fight against someone; to oppose someone, especially with physical force or violence * What can the community to prevent gangs from clashing with each other and causing violence in the neighborhood? to put down – to make something stop, or at least to make it calmer and less intense; to minimize or reduce the intensity of something * The army used many different types of weapons to put down the rebellion violent – with a lot of physical force that hurts or kills other people * Does playing violent video games make teenagers more likely to hurt other people in real life? it’s early days yet – a phrase used to show that it is too soon to make a judgment or a decision, and one must wait to see what will happen * The red team seems to be winning, but it’s early days yet and anything could happen These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013) Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests tear gas – gas that is sprayed to irritate a person’s eyes, making them red, painful, and tearful (wet) * The police wore special masks and sprayed tear gas into the home to try to force the intruder to come out to fire into the crowd – to use a gun to send bullets into an area where there are many people, without aiming at anyone in particular, but trying to hurt or kill people * The shooter fired into the crowd, hitting women and small children tyranny – cruel, unfair, and mean governance; an abuse of power * Ingrid wants to emigrate to avoid the tyranny in her home country to rule with an iron fist – to govern or control a population very strictly and sternly, punishing people for breaking the law, without making any exceptions * In theory, it might make sense for the university dean to rule with an iron fist, but in reality, she has to learn to bend the rules based on each situation to use any means necessary – to whatever needs to be done; to not place limits on one’s actions * The secret agents were instructed to use any means necessary to get the password, even if they had to torture or kill people to stay in power – to remain in control of something, especially in a leadership position or in politics * Adam loves being the chairperson and would like to stay in power forever to have a fighting chance – to have the possibility of winning; to have a chance of succeeding * As long as we have a fighting chance, we can’t give up to topple – to overthrow; to bring an end to a government; to take power away from a political leader * What toppled the Roman Empire? ruthless – willing to anything to get what one wants; not putting any limits on one’s actions, even if that means hurting others * Selena was ruthless in her pursuit of the award She lied, cheated, and stole to make sure the committee would choose her These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013) Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS a) b) c) What is tear gas? A gas that explodes into a fireball very easily A gas that irritates people’s eyes A gas that makes people laugh a) b) c) According to Tom, what will the dictator to stay in power? He’ll send them out of the country He’ll whatever he might need to He’ll give people money to make them like him WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN? to clash The verb “to clash,” in this podcast, means to fight against someone or to oppose someone, especially with physical force or violence: “Experts believe that many nations will begin to clash over clean water as populations continue to grow.” The verb “to clash” also means to disagree strongly: “The researchers clashed over the implications of their findings.” Or, “The two candidates clash on all the major issues.” If two colors “clash,” they not look good together: “That skirt clashes terribly with that blouse Why would you wear them together?” Finally, a “clash” is a ringing noise created when two pieces of metal hit each other: “The clash of the cymbals made the music much more dramatic.” to fire into the crowd In this podcast, the phrase “to fire into the crowd” means to use a gun to send bullets into an area where there are many people, without aiming at anyone in particular, but trying to hurt or kill people: “Nobody knows why the killer began to fire into the crowd at the shopping mall.” The phrase “to fire questions at (someone)” means to ask a lot of questions very quickly: “No matter how quickly the reporters fired questions at Tom, he never appeared worried or nervous.” Finally, the phrase “to fire (something) off” means to something quickly, especially to write a letter quickly and send it: “Let me just fire off a few emails and then I can leave the office.” These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013) Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests CULTURE NOTE Kent State Shootings The Kent State Shootings, sometimes called the Kent State “Massacre” (an incident where many people are killed), happened at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, on May 4, 1970 Students across the country were protesting against the Vietnam War and specifically President Nixon’s plans to “invade” (go into a country without permission) Cambodia At Kent State University, the protests began peacefully, but the crowd became angry and ended up yelling, breaking windows of some local businesses, and throwing beer bottles The police and then the “National Guard” (an organized group of citizens who are trained and ready to fight or otherwise serve their country when needed) became involved over a four-day period as the protests “escalated” (became bigger and more serious) On May 4, university “officials” (employees with authority) tried to cancel the students’ planned protest, but about 2,000 people gathered anyway The National Guard tried to “disperse” (make people spread out) the protestors, but they were unsuccessful and the protestors began throwing rocks The National Guard threw tear gas at the students and then began firing at the students In 13 seconds, 67 “rounds” (bullets) were shot, killing four students and “wounding” (causing injuries to) nine others The shootings “raised many questions” (made people begin to ask) about whether the government has the right to disperse protestors and/or shoot citizens Photographs of the shootings “shocked” (surprised in a negative way) people across the United States and “prompted” (caused; led to) many other protests The shootings have been “memorialized” (put into something else to be remembered) in songs, poems, books, plays, and other forms Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: – b; – b These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013) Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 895: Government Reactions to Protests This is English to English as a Second Language Podcast number 895 I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California Our website is ESLPod.com Go there and become a member of ESL Podcast today This episode is a dialogue between Tom and Marianne about people who don't like what the government is doing and try to change it Let's get started [start of dialog] Tom: Have you seen the news? Marianne: No, what’s happening? Tom: People in McQuillanland are rising up against the dictator and rallying against his government Marianne: Wow, this is big I thought the dictator would order a media blackout and we wouldn’t hear any news out of McQuillanland Tom: There is a media blackout, but people are using social media to tell the world what’s going on Hundreds of thousands of protesters are clashing with police, and the government is having no success putting down the protests Marianne: Has it been violent? Tom: It’s early days yet, but the government has already used tear gas and fired into the crowd It’s hard to say how many people have been hurt Marianne: So this may be the end of tyranny in McQuillanland Tom: Don’t bet on it The dictator has ruled with an iron fist and won’t hesitate to use any means necessary to stay in power These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013) Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests Marianne:" Well, the protesters have a fighting chance and I’m betting that they’ll topple the government and that ruthless tyrant! [end of dialog] Our dialogue begins with Tom saying to Marianne, “Have you seen the news?” Marianne says, “No What's happening?” Tom says, “People in McQuillanland are rising up against the dictator and rallying against his government.” “To rise up against someone” means to fight against someone, usually the government, or the people who are in charge “To rise up against the government” means to try to get rid of the government, the people running the government, to fight against them, to start a revolution Tom says, “The people in McQuillanland,” which is normally a nice place, “are rising up against the dictator.” A “dictator” (dictator) is a political leader who has complete power, who doesn't listen to other people, who doesn't let people have a voice in his or her government, someone who controls everything and usually, someone who is not very nice to people who don't like him If I started to give the names of some dictators, I would have to be here for a couple of days, perhaps, before I finish So, we'll just describe what a dictator is and you can think of your own examples Tom says “The people in McQuillanland are rising up against the dictator and rallying against his government.” “To rally” (rally) means, in this case, to get together in the same place, to gather, to assemble, especially if you are doing it for some sort of political reason, usually associated with protesting some action of the government “To protest” means to oppose, to be against, to say, “We don't want that anymore.” Marianne says, “Wow This is big,” meaning this is important or this involves a lot of people “I thought the dictator would order” – would demand – “a media blackout.” “Media” (media) refers to television, newspaper, radio – nowadays, the Internet, Twitter – all of these are part of media A “media blackout” is when the government decides to close the newspapers, to close the televisions, to shut down or turn off the Internet connections, to stop people from getting information about what's going on in their own country Marianne says that she thought the dictator would order this media blackout Tom says, “There is a media blackout, but people are using social media to tell the world what's going on.” I included Twitter in my description of “media,” but more specifically, Twitter is part of what we would call “social media.” This is the new forms of technology like Twitter or Facebook that allow people to share information with their friends and people they know on the Internet very quickly These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013) Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests Tom says, “Hundreds of thousands of protesters are clashing with police and the government is having no success putting down the protests.” Tom talks about hundreds of thousands of “protesters.” A “protester” is a person who protests, a person who tries to fight against some wrong that he sees the government doing or that society is engaged in “To clash” (clash) means to fight against someone, to oppose someone, often with physical force, with violence “Protesters are clashing with police,” Tom says, “and the government is having no success putting down the protests.” “They’re having no success,” that is, there are not able to put down the protests “To put down” here is a phrasal verb meaning to stop, especially when a government stops people who are opposed to it from protesting, from speaking If the government put down the protesters, they would be silencing them Unfortunately, at least for the dictator, the government has not been successful in putting down the protests, in stopping them Marianne says, “Has it been violent?” Has there been a lot of physical force that has hurt or perhaps even killed people? Tom says, “It’s too soon to know that yet.” He uses the expression “it's early days yet.” “It's early days yet” means it's too soon to know It's perhaps more common in British English than it is in American English, this expression, “it's early days yet.” Tom says “The government has already used tear gas and fired into the crowd.” “Tear (tear) gas” is a special kind of gas that is meant to hurt your eyes and make it difficult for you to continue any physical activity It's what police would use with a large group of people, a large crowd of people that they were trying to get rid of, that they were trying to get to go home “To fire into the crowd” means to use a gun and shoot into a group of people This obviously can be rather dangerous Tom says, “It's hard to say how many people have been hurt.” Marianne says, “So this may be the end of tyranny in McQuillanland.” “Tyranny” (tyranny) is a cruel, unfair, mean government, where you have a dictator or someone who is in the government or a group of people in the government who are hurting the people, who are not letting the people be free Tom says, “Don't bet on it.” Don't bet on this being the end of tyranny in McQuillanland “To not bet on something” means don't count on it, don't depend on it Tom says, “The dictator has ruled with an iron fist and won't hesitate to use any means necessary to stay in power.” “To rule with an iron (iron) fist (fist)” means to control or govern a population very strictly, to not let anyone anything that you These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013) Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests don't want them to do, especially those who don't like you, those who oppose you A dictator often rules with an iron fist The fist is just your hand that is, we use the verb “clenched” – it is put together like a ball That's your fist A “iron fist” would be a fist that of course, would be very hard and well, it would hurt you if you got punched by an iron fist But the expression is “to rule,” to govern, “with an iron fist.” Tom says, the dictator won't hesitate, will be very willing, to use any means necessary to stay in power The expression “to use any means (means) necessary” means to whatever needs to be done If you have to kill someone, you kill someone If you have to hurt someone, you hurt them You will use any means necessary The dictator will use any means necessary to “stay in power,” meaning to keep his power, to keep his control of the government Marianne says, “Well, the protesters have a fighting chance and I'm betting that they'll topple the government and that ruthless tyrant.” “To have a fighting chance” means that they have a possibility of winning It's not impossible for them to win Marianne is betting that the protesters will “topple” the government “To topple” (topple) means to overthrow, to put an end to a government, or the rulers of that government “Ruthless” (ruthless) describes someone who is willing to anything It's connected with the expression, “to use any means necessary.” Someone who is ruthless will whatever it takes to get what he or she wants The dialogue talks about a ruthless “tyrant” (tyrant) “Tyrant” is related to the word “tyranny,” and here really just means a dictator Now let’s listen to the dialogue this time at a normal speed [start of dialog] Tom: Have you seen the news? Marianne: No, what’s happening? Tom: People in McQuillanland are rising up against the dictator and rallying against his government Marianne: Wow, this is big I thought the dictator would order a media blackout and we wouldn’t hear any news out of McQuillanland Tom: There is a media blackout, but people are using social media to tell the world what’s going on Hundreds of thousands of protesters are clashing with police, and the government is having no success putting down the protests These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013) Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited English as a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests Marianne: Has it been violent? Tom: It’s early days yet, but the government has already used tear gas and fired into the crowd It’s hard to say how many people have been hurt Marianne: So this may be the end of tyranny in McQuillanland Tom: Don’t bet on it The dictator has ruled with an iron fist and won’t hesitate to use any means necessary to stay in power Marianne: Well, the protesters have a fighting chance and I’m betting that they’ll topple the government and that ruthless tyrant! [end of dialog] She’s not a dictator She's not a tyrant She certainly is not ruthless I speak of our wonderful, kind Dr Lucy Tse, our scriptwriter Thank you, Lucy From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan Thank you for listening Comeback and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Tse, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan Copyright 2013 by the Center for Educational Development These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013) Posting of these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited ... Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 895: Government Reactions to Protests. .. Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests Marianne: Has it been violent? Tom: It’s early days yet, but the government has already used tear gas and fired into... a Second Language Podcast www.eslpod.com ESL Podcast 895 – Government Reactions to Protests Tom says, “Hundreds of thousands of protesters are clashing with police and the government is having