ESLPod 1090 guide Want to be Fluent in English?

English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 1090 – Speaking About the Future

GLOSSARY
futuristic – relating to the future, not the present or past; representing what
people think will happen in the future
* The team is working on some futuristic plans for cars that can drive themselves.
forward-thinking – thinking about the future and preparing for what might or will
happen, without focusing too much on the present
* They made some really smart, forward-thinking investments in information
technology 20 years ago.
space-age – related to the distant future when advanced technology is common
* Callum wants to become a scientist or engineer so he can design space-age
transportation to allow people to travel almost at the speed of light.
gadget – a small device, machine, or tool that does something clever, useful, or
interesting
* This gadget makes it easy to peel garlic.
evolution – how something changes and develops over time, especially when
talking about living things
* According to theories of evolution, humans are closely related to primates.
technology – the application of science and computer technology to find
practical solutions to problems and create new inventions
* Medical technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and now, surgeons
can perform laser surgery without leaving a large scar on the patient’s body.
labor-saving – reducing the amount of time and energy required for people to do
something; something that decreases the amount of work that people have to do
* The washing machine is a great labor-saving device, because it makes it much
faster and easier to wash clothing and towels.
artificial intelligence – the ability of a computer, especially a robot, to interact

with humans and make decisions
* The research team is trying to develop a machine with the artificial intelligence
to allow deaf and mute people to communicate more easily.
impersonal – without close, personal relationships that develop from having
good interpersonal skills and sharing one’s thoughts and feelings
* Sending a text message to say thanks seems too impersonal. It would be better
to send a handwritten letter.
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ESL Podcast 1090 – Speaking About the Future

fear of the unknown – a feeling of anxiousness and fright when thinking about
what might happen, but not knowing what will happen, especially because
something has never been tried before
* Moving to a new country is exciting if you can get over the fear of the unknown.
in a nutshell – in summary; expressed in just a few words; at the core or center
* Heather is intelligent, beautiful, caring, ambitious, and fun to be with. In a
nutshell, she’s perfect for your brother.
simpler way of life – a lifestyle that involves few possessions, a lot of freedom,
and few responsibilities, especially in the past (not modern times)
* Many young people are learning how to sew their own clothes, make their own
furniture, and grow fruits and vegetables out of a desire to return to a simpler way
of life.
innovation – the process of creating new things, building on earlier discoveries

and inventions
* Innovation has allowed us to build fighter jets, jumbo airliners, and space
shuttles since humans learned how to fly.
sanitation – hygiene; cleanliness that allows one to be healthy
* Basic sanitation requires washing your hands after using the bathroom and
before preparing food.
to go back in time – to return to the way things were in an earlier time
* I wish I could go back in time and change what I did that day.
convenience – something that makes life easier
* A dishwasher isn’t necessary, but it certainly is a nice convenience.
time travel – the theoretical ability to travel to the past, present, and future
* Do you think someday we’ll master time travel and see what dinosaurs really
looked like?

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ESL Podcast 1090 – Speaking About the Future

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1.
a)
b)
c)

What is “artificial intelligence”?
Smart people
Robots and computers
Automated education systems

2.
a)
b)
c)

What does Robert mean when he says, “That’s me in a nutshell”?
Mara has him confused with someone else.
Mara does not understand him very well.
Mara has described him very well.

______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
forward-thinking
The phrase “forward-thinking,” in this podcast, means to thinking about the future
and preparing for what might or will happen, without focusing too much on the
present: “Who had the forward-thinking idea to expand into Southeast Asia
before the region had begun to experience significant economic growth?” The
phrase “from this/that time forward” means beginning at that this/that time and
continuing to the present and into the future: “The minister asked, ‘Do you
promise to love, honor, and protect her from this day forward?’” Finally, the
phrase “to look forward to (something)” means to anticipate something and be
excited about it happening, because one believes it will be good or enjoyable:
“We are really looking forward to your visit next month!”
to go back in time
In this podcast, the phrase “to go back in time” means to return to the way things

were in an earlier time: “If I could go back in time, I would have asked Meghan to
marry me much earlier.” The phrase “to get back to doing (something)” means to
resume or continue doing something that one had stopped doing: “Once this
press conference is over, we can get back to doing our real work.” The phrase “to
put (something) on the back burner” means to procrastinate or to delay doing
something because one needs to focus on other things: “Last semester, Greg’s
mother got sick, so he had to put his studies on the back burner.” Finally, the
phrase “to back the wrong horse” means to support something that loses or is not
successful: “We thought the new product would succeed, but apparently, we
were backing the wrong horse.”
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ESL Podcast 1090 – Speaking About the Future

CULTURE NOTE
The Back-to-the-Land Movement
The back-to-the-land “movement” (interest by a growing number of people in
doing something or changing society in some way) encourages people to grow
their own food for themselves and for others, without depending heavily on
supermarkets and the modern agricultural and food processing and distribution
systems.
Some people support the back-to-the-land movement because they see it as an
important “component” (part) of economic independence. They believe that
Americans should be more independent and “capable of” (able to do something)

surviving the “collapse” (complete failure and end) of society. For example, if
there were an environmental disaster or a major “war” (fighting between large
groups of people), only those who have are part of the back-to-the-land
movement will have “sufficient” (enough) resources to feed themselves.
Others embrace the back-to-the-land movement because they think it represents
a return to simpler, more “wholesome” (simple and good) times when there was a
slower “pace of life” (the speed at which things happen and the amount of stress
and number responsibilities that people have) and more enjoyment. They think
that growing their own food, as well as learning how to “preserve” (save for future
use) the “harvest” (what is taken from a garden or field), for example through
“canning” (placing food in glass jars under high temperature and pressure to
keep food safe from bacteria), is simply a good thing to do in life, and they
encourage others to “follow in their footsteps” (copy and do what they are doing).
______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c

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ESL Podcast 1090 – Speaking About the Future

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1090 – Speaking
about the Future.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,090. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Go to our website at ESLPod.com. Become a member of ESL Podcast and
download a Learning Guide for this episode. This episode is a dialogue between
Robert and Mara, talking about things that will happen in the future. Let’s get
started.
[start of dialogue]
Robert: These designs are really futuristic-looking.
Mara: I’m trying to be forward-thinking and imagine what the world will be like in
50 to 100 years.
Robert: You think that the world will be filled with space-age gadgets like these?
Mara: That’s the natural evolution of technology for the next 100 years, I think.
We will continue to develop labor-saving devices, simpler ways of doing
everyday tasks, and to improve artificial intelligence.
Robert: I’m not sure I want to live in a world that looks like that. It seems so cold
and impersonal.
Mara: That’s only because most of us have a fear of the unknown.
Robert: That’s me in a nutshell. I’d rather return to a simpler way of life with as
little innovation and technology as possible.
Mara: Like modern sanitation and transportation?
Robert: Well, I want to go back in time with some things, but keep my
conveniences.
Mara: So you want to pick and choose? That shouldn’t be a problem when we
figure out time travel.
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ESL Podcast 1090 – Speaking About the Future

[end of dialogue]
Robert begins the dialogue by saying to Mara, “These designs are really
futuristic-looking.” The word “futuristic” (futuristic) comes from the word “future,”
meaning something that is not present or past in time. There’s really only one
other possibility, and that would be something that hasn’t yet happened, or the
future. So “futuristic” means very forward-looking, very modern – something that
looks like, well, something from the future, even though that’s not technically
possible.
Mara says, “I’m trying to be forward-thinking and imagine what the world will be
like in 50 to 100 years.” “To be forward-thinking” means to be thinking about the
future, planning for the future. Robert says, “You think that the world will be filled
with space-age gadgets like these?” “Gadgets” (gadgets) are small machines or
devices or tools that do something interesting, that do something different, some
form of technology.
“Space-age” is a term you don’t hear as much now as you did maybe in the
1960s and ’70s. “Space-age” refers to the period of time when man is now able
to go out into outer space – the area outside of our own world. So, “space-age”
refers really to the modern era, or the modern period.
Mara says, “That’s the natural evolution of technology for the next 100 years, I
think.” “Technology” refers to the application of science in finding practical
solutions to things, or simply the creativity of the person who makes a certain
thing. “Technology” could refer to lots of different things, but basically to tools or
things we use to accomplish something. Nowadays when you say “technology,”
people usually think of computer technology.
“Evolution” is the process of change over a period of time, usually a long period
of time. In biology, the “theory of evolution” is associated with the British scientist

of the nineteenth century, Charles Darwin. But here we’re talking not about
evolution of human beings, but technological evolution – the changing
technology.
Mara continues, “We will continue to develop labor-saving devices to find simpler
ways of doing everyday tasks and to improve artificial intelligence.” A “labor
(labor) – saving device” is some tool or device or machine that saves you work.
“Labor-saving” refers to the time and energy you need in order to accomplish
something, to do something. So for example, email in many ways is a laborsaving device. You don’t have to go to the post office and mail a letter. You can
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ESL Podcast 1090 – Speaking About the Future

just do it from your own home, or wherever you are if you have a phone with
email.
Mara says also in the future, we will continue “to improve artificial intelligence.”
“Artificial intelligence” is the idea that a computer is able to use information in
order to make decisions – to act as if it were like a human being. I won’t get into
the philosophical problems with that definition or that line of thinking, but usually,
in computing, we’re talking about the ability of the computer to learn certain rules
and apply those rules according to the programming of the computer.
Robert says, “I’m not sure I want to live in a world that looks like that. It seems so
cold and impersonal.” Something that is “impersonal” (impersonal) is something
that you are not close to – something or some person that you don’t have a lot of
feelings for or emotion towards. Robert is talking about a world that is “cold and

impersonal.” He means a world in which there isn’t a lot of human feeling,
perhaps even human interaction. That would be certainly “impersonal.”
Mara says, “That’s only because most of us have a fear of the unknown.” A “fear
(fear) of the unknown” is when you are afraid of or scared of things that you don’t
understand, that you don’t know about. Now, of course, I think most of us have a
fear of the unknown. It could be good. It could be bad. But if you don’t know what
it is, you at the very least might want to be a little cautious.
Mara is saying that the reason Robert doesn’t like Mara’s vision of the future is
that he has a fear of the unknown. This is also a common way of dismissing or
countering someone’s argument – by saying that they have some serious
psychological problem. This is quite common in politics as well as in personal
relations, but back to the story. Robert says, “That’s me in a nutshell.” The
expression “in a nutshell” (nutshell) means in a very short form, in a very brief
summary. Instead of giving someone a long explanation, you give them just the
essential facts or the essential information.
I read somewhere recently that this expression actually comes from a comment
made by the Roman author Pliny the Elder about how he had heard that there
was a copy of Homer’s great poems The Iliad and The Odyssey that were written
so small, on such a small piece of paper, that they could all be fit inside of a
nutshell. That seems impossible to me, but that’s at least one theory about where
this expression “in a nutshell” comes from. It means in very precise terms, in the
fewest number of words possible to express an idea.
Robert says, “I’d rather return to a simpler way of life with as little innovation and
technology as possible.” A “simpler way of life” would be a less complicated way
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ESL Podcast 1090 – Speaking About the Future

of living, with less distractions. “Innovation” (innovation) refers to inventing new
things or creating new technology. The verb is “to innovate.” “Novus” (novus) is
the Latin word for “new” and that’s where we get this term, ultimately, from.
Robert wants a simpler way of life with as little innovation as possible.
Mara says, “Like modern sanitation and transportation?” Mara is asking Robert if
he wants to live in a world where you don’t even have modern transportation like
cars and airplanes, or modern “sanitation” (sanitation). “Sanitation” refers to
cleanliness. We might also use the word “hygiene” (hygiene). That would refer to
your personal cleanliness – taking showers and brushing your teeth, having
bathrooms that operate in an efficient way. This is all part of sanitation.
Roberts says, “Well, I want to go back in time with some things, but keep my
conveniences.” “To go back in time” would be impossible, of course. It means to
return to an earlier time, before the time in which you are now living.
“Conveniences” refers to things that make your life easier – things like, say,
Google, or a car, or the ability to download podcasts and listen to them on your
way to work. These are all modern conveniences – in some cases, quite recent
conveniences.
Mara says, “So, you want to pick and choose?” meaning you want to pick the
things or select the things that you want to keep and those that you don’t. She
says, “That shouldn’t be a problem when we figure out time travel.” “Time travel”
is the idea that you are able to travel either forward or backwards in time. This is
just a theoretical ability. I’m not sure if most scientists think it would ever be
possible, but there are some that do.
There’s a popular British television show that’s been on for years and years
called Doctor Who. Doctor Who is a time traveler. He goes back and forth in time
in his little machine. I used to watch that show when I was in high school back in

the 1970s. It’s a British sci-fi, or science fiction show. But Mara of course is
joking. She doesn’t think that we will figure out or be able to understand time
travel, at least not soon enough to benefit Robert.
Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
[start of dialogue]
Robert: These designs are really futuristic-looking.
Mara: I’m trying to be forward-thinking and imagine what the world will be like in
50 to 100 years.
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ESL Podcast 1090 – Speaking About the Future

Robert: You think that the world will be filled with space-age gadgets like these?
Mara: That’s the natural evolution of technology for the next 100 years, I think.
We will continue to develop labor-saving devices, simpler ways of doing
everyday tasks, and to improve artificial intelligence.
Robert: I’m not sure I want to live in a world that looks like that. It seems so cold
and impersonal.
Mara: That’s only because most of us have a fear of the unknown.
Robert: That’s me in a nutshell. I’d rather return to a simpler way of life with as
little innovation and technology as possible.
Mara: Like modern sanitation and transportation?
Robert: Well, I want to go back in time with some things, but keep my
conveniences.

Mara: So you want to pick and choose? That shouldn’t be a problem when we
figure out time travel.
[end of dialogue]
The most important innovator here at ESL Podcast is our wonderful and creative
scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse. Thank you, Lucy.
From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come
back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast was written and produced by Dr. Lucy
Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. Copyright 2015 by the Center for Educational
Development.

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