English Cafe 442.pdf

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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 442
TOPICS
American Presidents – Woodrow Wilson; junction versus intersection versus
interchange; proprietary versus patent; to bluff (one’s) way into a secure area
_____________
GLOSSARY
income tax
– an amount of money that one must pay the government each year
that is related to the amount of money one earns at one’s job
* Masha got a new job that pays a lot more money so she will pay more income
taxes this year.
salary
– a set amount of money that one earns at one’s job and that is paid
regularly, usually every two weeks or once a month
* The starting salary at Jim’s job is $50,000 a year.
graduated
– steadily changing, usually increasing or decreasing, according to a
scale (set schedule)
* The bowls came in five graduated sizes and fit nicely inside each other.
antitrust
– laws or rules stopping one company from having total control over
one type of product, service, or business
* Antitrust laws prevented American Airlines and British Airways from combining
into one company.
market
– products a company produces and the customers that it tries to sell to
* There is a large market for white cars in places where it is hot all year.
to merge
– to combine two or more things, making them into one larger thing
* Elizabeth decided to merge her two short trips into one long trip.
to campaign
– to run for office talking about specific ideas or plans that one will
put into place when one wins
* In 2008, Barack Obama campaigned on the idea that he could change the way
the United States dealt with other countries.
league
– an organized group of people or countries that work together for a
common goal
* The League of Women Voters works to educate people, especially women,
about the ideas and problems being discussed during elections.
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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 442
occupation
– when one person or country enters a place or other country
forcefully and takes control
* School children were taught Japanese in schools during the Japanese
occupation of Taiwan.
allied
– working together to achieve a common goal or outcome
* Sandro and Pat were allied in their efforts to improve the working conditions in
the factory
international relations
– how different countries talk and work with each other
* International relations are improving between the United States and
McQuillanland because neither country wants another war.
terms
– the rules or conditions that are agreed to in a contract
* The terms of the contract stated that Johann would pay his rent on the first day
of every month and the landlord would quickly fix any problems Johann reported.
junction
–
a point where two or more things are joined; a place where two or
more things connect
* The junction of the two railroad tracks can be dangerous because if trains aren’t
communicating with each other properly, they may crash.
intersection
– a place where things cross, especially a place where two or more
roads cross; a place where two or more roads from different directions meet
* The pet store is at the intersection of Main Street and First Avenue.
interchange
– a highway crossing with more than one level arranged so that
vehicles may move from one road to another without driving across traffic
* When you reach the Interstate 10 and Interstate 5 freeway interchange, be sure
to stay in the right lane so you can get onto the 5 freeway.
proprietary
–
for products to be sold and protected by law indicating that it
belongs to a company and only that company has the right to make and to sell it
* This software is proprietary, so if you want to include it in your program, you’ll
need to get permission.
patent
– government permission of ownership for a set period, especially the
right to prevent others from making, using, or selling an invention
* When Melia invented an umbrella that protected the entire body from getting
wet in rain, she got a patent so no one else could claim that they had invented it.
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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 442
to bluff
– to try to trick someone into believing something, especially in order to
get an advantage over that person
* When playing cards for money, it’s important to be able to bluff.
secure area
–
a marked or clear area in which access into and out of it is
controlled and can be monitored (watched)
* Jona tried to enter a secure area at the airport and was stopped by security
guards.
_____________
WHAT INSIDERS KNOW
Presidential Illnesses
Being the leader of any “nation” (country) would be a “stressful” (causing a lot of
worry and tension) job, and being the president of the United States is no
exception. Many presidents – like Woodrow Wilson – suffered from serious
illnesses. Some started the job with “preexisting conditions” (already with health
problems), while others developed them on the job.
President William Taft (1909-1913), for example, started the job “morbidly obese”
(being very overweight). He was over 300 pounds (136 kilos) and was the fattest
president in American history. His weight caused him many health problems, and
even though he “dieted” (tried to lose weight by changing what and how much he
ate) and lost nearly 100 pounds, he continued to gain and lose weight throughout
his lifetime. His weight caused “sleep apnea,” a condition that “interrupted”
(stopped temporarily) his sleep. This meant that he was tired throughout the day
and was known to fall sleep during political meetings.
John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) also had health problems. Unfortunately, he had a
serious disease called Addison’s disease. This disease affected the “adrenal
glands,” the part of the body that produces “hormones,” which are substances
that are released in the body related to one’s emotions, such as those needed to
deal with stress. Kennedy had “chronic” (continuing and never stopping) back
pain and “anxiety” (feeling nervous and worry). To deal with these problems, he
took a lot of medications, becoming “addicted to” (wanted very badly and feeling
as though one cannot live without) some of those drugs.
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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 442
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
You’re listening to ESL Podcast’s English Café number 442.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast’s English Café episode 442. I’m
your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational
Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Visit our website at ESLPod.com and become a member of ESL Podcast. If you
do, you can download a Learning Guide for this episode. You can also like us on
Facebook at facebook.com/eslpod.
On this Café, we’re going to talk about the 28th president of the United States,
Woodrow Wilson, one of the most interesting and active presidents of the
twentieth century. And, as always, we’ll answer a few of your questions. Let’s get
started.
Woodrow Wilson was born Thomas Woodrow Wilson on December 28, 1856, in
the state of Virginia. Wilson later dropped his first name, Thomas, because he
liked the sound of “Woodrow” better. Little Tommy Wilson grew up during one of
the worst periods of American history, the Civil War, which took place when
Wilson was still a small boy. Some say that it was this experience of war that led
Wilson to work so hard for peace later in his lifetime.
Wilson went to Princeton University in New Jersey. Later, he went to the
University of Virginia Law School and Johns Hopkins University, where he
received his Ph.D. in history and political science – that is, the study of how
governments work. He then worked as a professor of history and political science
at a few different colleges and universities. Wilson was the most scholarly and
well-published president in American history, publishing several important books
on history and politics. He was the only president to get a Ph.D., although I’m not
sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
In 1885, Wilson did a good thing and married a young woman by the name of
Ellen Louise Axson. Together, the happy couple had three daughters, named
Jessie, Margaret, and Eleanor. A few years later, in 1890, Wilson became a
professor at Princeton University, where he himself had studied as a young man.
Princeton was and is considered one of the best universities in the U.S. In 1902,
Wilson became president of Princeton University and was one of the most
popular professors on campus – that is, at the university.
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These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2014). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.
English as a Second Language Podcast
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ENGLISH CAFÉ – 442
While he was president of Princeton, he was asked to run for governor. The
“governor” is the highest-level government leader in a state. Wilson was asked to
run for governor of New Jersey. He agreed and was elected governor in 1910.
Only two years later, in 1912, he ran for president of the United States with the
support of the Democratic Party. He won that election also and became our 28th
president.
During Wilson’s first “term,” or years serving as an elected official, Wilson helped
pass several major, or very important, laws. The first of these was called the
Underwood Act. “Act” (act) is just another word for “law.” The Underwood Act
created a federal, or national, income tax. An “income (income) tax” is money
that you have to pay the government each year that is related to your pay or your
salary, which is the amount of money you earn at your job. The income tax was
“graduated” (graduated) which means that the more money you earn, the more
you make, the more you need to pay the government in taxes. This is still true
today. Our top, or highest, federal income tax rate is now close to 40 percent.
Another major law that Wilson passed was the Federal Reserve Act. This law
was created so that the government had a way of “regulating,” or controlling, the
value of the money in the United States. It created a government-run central
bank called the Federal Reserve. By 1914, there were 12 Federal Reserve banks
throughout the United States in cities such as Boston, New York, and San
Francisco.
The third important piece of legislation or law created in Wilson’s first term was
two antitrust acts in 1914. “Antitrust” (antitrust) is a word used to talk about
preventing one company from having total control over what we would call their
“market.” The “market” (market) here refers to the products, types of products,
that a company sells. The concern over big corporations and their power in the
U.S. economy was not new to Wilson’s presidency, but had been part of
American politics since the late nineteenth century. Wilson, however, helped
create these two new antitrust laws to make sure that companies competed with
each other so that prices remained fair.
One of these antitrust laws was called the Clayton Act. The Clayton Act was an
addition to an existing antitrust law called the Sherman Act. The Clayton Act and
the Sherman Act together regulated or controlled how businesses could work to
be sure the market was, again, fair. For example, the Clayton act said that two
companies may not “merge,” or combine, if that means that they will control the
entire market. So, if there are only two companies that sell a certain product, and
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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

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