Tuesday, June 30, 2009

#1076 Elizabeth Taylor, Lawn Mower Thief, I’m Afraid, Are You Rich?


Show 1076 Tuesday 30 June
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi, I’m Sarah, welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today we’re studying a scene from a movie called The Last Time I Saw Paris.

This movie came out in 1954 and stars Elizabeth Taylor.

Have you heard of Elizabeth Taylor?

In Wikipedia it says she is an English-born American actress. Known for her acting skills and beauty, as well as her Hollywood lifestyle, including many marriages, Taylor is considered one of the great actresses of Hollywood's golden years, as well as a larger-than-life celebrity.

It says she has been married 8 times to seven men – one of them she married twice - and she’s now 77.

The start of this movie, The Last Time I Saw Paris, takes place in Paris at the end of World War Two and a journalist called Charles meets a woman called Helen at a party and she happens to be the same woman who he kissed earlier when they were celebrating in the street.

And Charles and Helen are sitting on some stairs at this party and she asks him: Are you rich?
And he says: No. Does that finish me off?

He means: Does that destroy my chances of being with you?

And she says: No, but it does slow us up a little. We’re not rich either, we just live that way. Daddy says it’s the same thing only it’s much cheaper.

So she’s basically saying that she’s looking for a rich husband.

To slow sth/sb up means: to go or to make sth/sb go at a slower speed or to be less active.

To slow sth/sb down means the same thing as to slow sth/sb up.

For example: The car slowed down as it approached the lights.
If we have to do it manually it will really slow us up.

Are you rich?
No. Does that finish me off?
No, but it does slow us up a little. We’re not rich either, we just live that way. Daddy says it’s the same thing only it’s much cheaper.

<a href="http://www.joost.com/05900m1/t/Elizabeth-Taylor-The-Last-Time-I-Saw-Paris">Elizabeth Taylor:The Last Time I Saw Paris</a>



STICK NEWS




Kia ora in Stick News today a thief in Germany has been arrested after he tried to sell a lawn mower to the man he stole it from.

In February a 46-year-old man in Germany stole a lawn mower from a shed.
Then he decided to sell it on eBay.
But when a potential buyer came to inspect the mower he recognized it as his own.
The owner of the mower contacted the police and the lawn mower thief was arrested.

And that was Stick News for Tuesday the 30th of June.
Kia ora.



Word of the Day


Today’s word is afraid.

In the scene we’re studying today, a man and a woman are sitting on some stairs talking and then another man (the woman’s father) interrupts them.

He says: Dear, I’m afraid I’ve underestimated the alcoholic capacity of our guests.

Do you know what I’m afraid means?

Afraid means scared … so if you say, I’m afraid of the dark it means I’m scared of the dark.

But I’m afraid is also an idiom to politely express regret or apology. It means something like I’m sorry or unfortunately.

For example, if you work in a shop and a customer asks you: Do you sell brand X dishwashing liquid – and you don’t – you could say: No, I’m afraid not. Which means: No, I’m sorry, we don’t.

Dear, I’m afraid I’ve underestimated the alcoholic capacity of our guests.



conversations with sarah

#681 Are you rich?



Step 1: Repeat Charles' + James' lines.
Step 2: Read Charles' + James' lines and talk to Helen.

Helen Are you rich?

Charles No. Does that finish me off?

Helen No, but it does slow us up a little. We’re not rich either, we just live that way. Daddy says it’s the same thing only it’s much cheaper.

Charles I think I like him.

Helen That’s good, because he’ll try to borrow money from you and I don’t want to him to be disappointed. I like the way you kiss.

Charles Really?

James Dear, I’m afraid I’ve underestimated the alcoholic capacity of our guests.



links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Future Cha Cha
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

cws start
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: The Jazz Woman
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Kevin MacLeod
track: Shades of Spring
from: Brooklyn, NY, United States
artist site

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