ESL podcast 892 preparing for the busy season

English as a Second Language Podcast
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ESL Podcast 892 – Preparing for the Busy Season
GLOSSARY
to gear up for – to get ready for; to prepare for
* The team members are gearing up for the big game on Friday.
busy season – a period of time each year when a business has more customers
and more sales than at other times of year
* Early spring is the busy season for tax accountants, because most personal tax
returns have to be filed by April 15.
to get caught with (one’s) pants down – to be found in an embarrassing or
uncomfortable situation that one was not expecting and did not prepare for
* The students got caught with their pants down when the teacher surprised them
with a test on their reading assignments up to that point in the term.
unseasonably warm – warmer than usual for a particular place at a particular
time of year
* February was unseasonably warm in Colorado and it caused a lot of flooding.
for lightening to strike twice – for a rare or unusual event to happen two times;
for something unlikely to happen again
* Why are you still buying lottery tickets? You won the jackpot last year, but I
doubt lightning will strike twice.
contingency – one of many possible events when one does not know whether
or when it will happen, but one can try to be prepared for it
* Does your homeowners insurance include contingencies for natural disasters,
such as flooding, wildfires, and earthquakes?
a flood of – many; a large number of people or things appearing all at once
* The school was overwhelmed by the flood of new students last year.
surge – a sudden, significant increase
* After the terrorist attacks, there was a surge of interest in becoming a police
officer.

traffic – a measure of the number of people coming to a store or another place;
a measure of the number of people seen in a particular area
* Our store doesn’t see much traffic, but our website gets a lot of sales.

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ESL Podcast 892 – Preparing for the Busy Season
peak – greatest; biggest; with the maximum value; referring to the highest part of
something
* None of the employees are allowed to take their lunch break during our peak
hours, because we need everyone available to assist customers.
upswing – an increase
* What caused the upswing in students’ test scores three years ago?
in large numbers – with a great or high value; many
* When a storm is coming, people often buy flashlights and candles in large
numbers, just in case they lose power.
to anticipate – to expect; to predict; to believe that something will happen in the
future
* As the population grows older, we anticipate continued growth in the medical
industry.
to go to waste – to be wasted; to not be used and to have to be thrown away
* Many grocery stores donate old bread, fruits, and vegetables to homeless
shelters so that the food doesn’t go to waste.
perishable – likely to decay or spoil; likely to go bad

* Liquid milk is highly perishable, unless it has special packaging.

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ESL Podcast 892 – Preparing for the Busy Season
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1.
a)
b)
c)

What happened last season?
They weren’t prepared for so many visitors.
They didn’t have enough clothes, so visitors saw Reza naked.
They didn’t have doors for the bathrooms, so there was no privacy.

2. Why does Yuko say, “We can’t expect lightening to strike twice”?
a) Because she doesn’t think there will be another lightening storm.
b) Because she doesn’t think there will be as many visitors this year.
c) Because she doesn’t think they’ll have as much money as Reza is
anticipating.
______________
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?
surge

The word “surge,” in this podcast, means a sudden, significant increase: “The
government was surprised by the surge in applications for unemployment
benefits.” Or, “Economists are predicting a surge in the cost of dairy products
next summer.” Sometimes a “surge” refers to many people moving in a particular
direction: “During the war, countries nearby had problems trying to accommodate
the surge of people running away from the fighting.” A “surge” is also a sudden
movement of a lot of electricity: “Storms can cause power surges.” A “surge
protector” is a device used for plugging in computers and other valuable
electronics so that they are not damaged by electrical surges: “Even if your
computer is plugged into a surge protector, it’s still not a good idea to use it
during a storm.”
to go to waste
In this podcast, the phrase “to go to waste” means to be wasted, or to not be
used and to have to be thrown away: “Studies have shown that a very large
percentage of fruits and vegetables purchased by American families go to waste
without ever being eaten.” The phrase “to be a waste of (something)” is used to
describe something that was not as useful or good as expected: “Going to that
movie was a waste of time.” Or, “She spent more than $200 on that sweater, and
it fell apart the first time she washed it. What a waste of money!” Finally, a “waste
product” is something that a factory process makes, but has no useful value:
“The factory used to produce a lot of nitrogen as a waste product of its other
manufacturing processes, but now it sells it to local farmers.”
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ESL Podcast 892 – Preparing for the Busy Season

CULTURE NOTE
Seasonal Businesses
Many businesses are “seasonal,” with certain times of year when they are very
busy, and other times of year when they have little work to do. A lot of seasonal
businesses experience a surge in sales around certain holidays. For example,
toy stores and “department stores” (stores that sell many types of clothing,
shoes, accessories, and household goods) have a “busy season” (a busy period)
in November and December, when many Americans purchase holiday gifts for
their friends and family. The post office and “shipping services” (businesses that
transport packages) have that same busy season, because many gifts and
“holiday cards” (short notes with holiday wishes) are mailed across the country
then.
Other seasonal businesses include stores that sell candy and flowers. Their busy
times are the weeks and days before Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, when
people are likely to send candy and flowers as gifts. There is also “a rush on”
(high demand for) candy in the weeks before Halloween, when people buy candy
to give to children who wear costumes and go “trick-or-treating” (knocking on
doors to ask for candy as part of Halloween).
Accountants and “tax preparation firms” (business that help people “prepare” (fill
out) and “file” (submit) their taxes are very busy in late winter and early spring.
That is because most “tax returns” (documents submitted with one’s tax
payments) are due on April 15.
“Travel agencies” (companies that help people plan trips and purchase tickets)
have busy seasons during the times of year when most people like to travel.
These seasons are often “over the holidays” (November through early January,
from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day) and during the summer, when
families can travel because their children are “out of school” (when school is not
in session).

______________
Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – b

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ESL Podcast 892 – Preparing for the Busy Season
COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 892: Preparing for
a Busy Season.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 892. 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 today and become a Learning Guide
member, where you’ll be able to, well, download the Learning Guide.
This episode is a dialogue between Yuko and Reza about getting ready for being
busy at your work or whatever activity you do. Let’s get started.
[start of dialog]
Yuko: What’s all this?
Reza: We’re gearing up for the busy season. We don’t want to get caught with
our pants down like we did last season.
Yuko: Last season, we had a unusual number of visitors because of the
unseasonably warm weather. We can’t expect lightening to strike twice.
Reza: We have to prepare for every contingency. If we get a flood of visitors, we
need to be able to handle the surge in traffic. These three months are our peak

months anyway, so we should expect an upswing in business soon.
Yuko: But what if people don’t come in large numbers as you’re anticipating? All
of these extra supplies will go to waste.
Reza: No, they won’t. Most of this stuff isn’t perishable, so we’ll just save it for
the next time we get a rush of visitors. Or, maybe, I’ll just invite my buddies over
at the end of the season and we’ll have a party.
Yuko: So when you said that we have to plan for every contingency, this was
what you meant.
Reza: Exactly!
[end of dialog]
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ESL Podcast 892 – Preparing for the Busy Season

We begin with Yuko saying to Reza, “What's all this?” “All this” would mean there
are a lot of things that you see and you want to know, in this case, what they are.
Well, Reza says, “We’re gearing up for a busy season.” “To gear up for
something” is an expression that means to prepare for something, to get ready
for something. “To gear up for” would mean to prepare for some event, often
something that will be difficult or that will require a lot of work. In this case, Reza
says, “We’re gearing up for a busy season.” “Busy” means very occupied, lots of
things to do. “Season” refers to a certain time of year, or a certain period when
some particular activity happens. We have four seasons – fall, winter, spring and
summer – but you could also have the baseball season, which is a period of time

that lasts from early April to late October. We could talk about the Christmas
season in December. So, season can mean any period of time.
Reza says they are gearing up for the busy season. “We don't want to get caught
with our pants down like we did last season.” The expression “to get caught with
your pants down” is a somewhat humorous, a somewhat funny expression that
we use to mean to be found in an embarrassing situation, an uncomfortable
situation that we weren't prepared for. If you can think of someone whose pants
suddenly fall down to their ankles and you can, of course, well, see their
underwear, this would be somewhat embarrassing. “To be caught with your
pants down” means to be found in a situation that is embarrassing and that you
weren’t prepared for.
Yuko says, “Last season, we had an unusual number of visitors because of the
unseasonably warm weather.” Yuko is talking about “last season,” meaning last
year or the last time they had a period related to this activity. And we’re not sure
yet exactly what this activity is. Yuko says they had an unusual number of visitors
because of the unseasonably warm weather. Something that is unseasonable is
something that is not to be expected normally during that time of year. Typically,
we’re talking about the weather. It's warmer than it is normally. It's unseasonably
warm this Christmas time. Normally, it's colder, or it’s unseasonably cold in the
summertime. Normally, it's warmer. So, when the weather is warmer or colder
than it would normally be – if the temperature that is, were warmer or colder than
it would normally be, we might call that “unseasonable weather.”
Yuko says they had unseasonably warm weather last season. She says, “We
can't expect lightning to strike twice.” This is another old expression. “Lightning”
is the electrical discharge that comes out of a cloud, a storm cloud. Usually with
lightning, you have a loud sound called “thunder.” “To strike” just means here to
hit. So, when we say “lightning strikes,” we mean lightning hits the ground or
comes in contact with something on the ground, often a building or a tree or a
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ESL Podcast 892 – Preparing for the Busy Season
pole. For some reason, it is believed, because lightning perhaps doesn't happen
very often, that lightning will not hit the same place twice, at least in the same
storm. So, what Yuko is saying in this expression, “We can expect lightning to
strike twice,” is that this is a very unlikely event. It probably won't happen. The
chances of it happening are very small, we might say.
Reza says, “We have to prepare for every contingency.” A “contingency”
(contingency) is one of many possible events. You're not sure what's going to
happen. It might rain today or it might be sunny. You have to be prepared for the
contingency, the possibility, that it will rain. So, you bring an umbrella with you or
you wear a raincoat. Reza says, “If we get a flood of visitors,” meaning if we get a
lot of visitors, a lot of people coming to us, “we need to be able to handle the
surge in traffic.” A “surge” (surge) is a sudden increase, a significant increase in
something. “Traffic” (traffic) means, in this case, the number of people who are
coming. We often talk about traffic related to cars and how crowded the roads
are, but traffic can also mean, especially when talking about, for example, a store
– it can mean the number of people who come in and out of the store. Reza
says, “These three months are our peak months anyway, so we should expect an
upswing in business soon.” The “peak” (peak) is the highest, in this case, the
month where they get the most business, the most number of visitors. So, this is
their peak month, or these three months are their “peak months,” their busiest
months. Reza says, “We should expect an upswing in business soon.” An
“upswing” (upswing) is an increase, a sudden increase, usually.
Yuko says, “But what if people don't come in large numbers as you’re

anticipating?” “In large numbers” means a lot of them, a very high value, many.
“Anticipate” means to expect, to predict, to believe that something will happen in
the future. I anticipate I will meet a beautiful woman and fall in love and get
married.
Wait a minute, I'm already married. I already met a beautiful woman and fell in
love. Oh, isn’t that nice!
Well, Yuko is not talking about falling in love. She's talking about getting a large
number of people that will come into wherever Yuko and Reza are working. Yuko
says, “All of these extra supplies will go to waste.” “To go to waste” (waste)
means not to be used, to be thrown out, to be put in the trash, to go to waste.
Yuko is saying that, if we don't get a large number of people, then all of these
extra supplies, all of these things that you bought, anticipating there would be a
lot of people, will go to waste.
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ESL Podcast 892 – Preparing for the Busy Season
Reza says, “No, they won't. Most of this stuff isn't perishable.” “Perishable”
(perishable) means it is likely to go bad. It is likely to spoil. It is likely that it won't
be any good. Usually, this word is used when talking about food. If you have a
gallon of milk and you put it out into the sun, eventually it will spoil. It will change
in a way that you can no longer drink it. There are some foods that you can
prepare in a certain way so that they will last a long time. Canned food, for
example, could last months, even years in a can. You could still open it up and
eat it. Perishable food is food that you cannot do that with, food that if you don't

eat it in a day or two, or you don't keep it in, for example, the refrigerator, it will
spoil. It will go bad.
Reza says that “Most of this stuff,” most of these things that he bought, “are not
perishable. So, we’ll just save it for the next time we get a rush of visitors, or
maybe,” he says, “I'll just invite my buddies,” my friends, “over at the end of the
season and we’ll have a party.” Reza is suggesting that if they don't use all of
these supplies, which appear to be food supplies, he will invite his friends over
and they will eat them. Yuko says, “So, when you said that we have to plan for
every contingency, this was what you meant?” Yuko is saying, “Oh, so, the
possible situation that you were preparing for included not getting very many
visitors and therefore having to have a party in order to eat all of the supplies.”
Reza says, “Exactly,” meaning “Yes, that is exactly what I was thinking.”
Now let’s listen to the dialogue this time at a normal speed.
[start of dialog]
Yuko: What’s all this?
Reza: We’re gearing up for the busy season. We don’t want to get caught with
our pants down like we did last season.
Yuko: Last season, we had a unusual number of visitors because of the
unseasonably warm weather. We can’t expect lightening to strike twice.
Reza: We have to prepare for every contingency. If we get a flood of visitors, we
need to be able to handle the surge in traffic. These three months are our peak
months anyway, so we should expect an upswing in business soon.
Yuko: But what if people don’t come in large numbers as you’re anticipating? All
of these extra supplies will go to waste.
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ESL Podcast 892 – Preparing for the Busy Season
Reza: No, they won’t. Most of this stuff isn’t perishable, so we’ll just save it for
the next time we get a rush of visitors. Or, maybe, I’ll just invite my buddies over
at the end of the season and we’ll have a party.
Yuko: So when you said that we have to plan for every contingency, this was
what you meant.
Reza: Exactly!
[end of dialog]
She writes scripts in large numbers and all of them good. I speak of course, of
our wonderful, own scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse. 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.

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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.