Complete Transcript
You’re listening to ESL Podcast’s English Café number 453.
This is English as a Second Language Podcast English Café episode 453. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Our first topic on this Café is perhaps the most famous female pilot in American history, a woman by the name of Amelia Earhart. Amelia Earhart was born in 1897 in the state of Kansas, which is located in the central part of the United States, the very middle of the U.S. Earhart lived in several states, however, including Iowa, Illinois – where she graduated from high school – and my home state of Minnesota.
During World War I, Earhart worked as a nurse at a military hospital in Canada. There, she helped soldiers who had been hurt during the war. During her time in Toronto, Canada, Earhart went with a friend to see what was called a “stunt flying exhibition.” A “stunt” (stunt) is some physical trick, some difficult physical feat that looks like it might be very dangerous and often is dangerous.
Here in Hollywood, we have what are called “stuntmen” and “stuntwomen.” When you watch a movie where there’s a lot of action and violence and car chases, you’ll often see the main character, the hero in the movie, do dangerous things. Usually, however, it isn’t actually the actor who’s doing those things. It’s another actor substituted for the main actor, and that other actor is called a “stuntman” or a “stuntwoman,” depending if it’s a man or woman.
Well, Amelia Earhart went to a show that was called a “stunt flying exhibition.” Basically, it was a show in which airplanes did these special tricks. During the show, one of the pilots flew his airplane directly at Earhart before turning away at the last moment. He had wanted to scare Earhart, but Earhart was not scared. In fact, later she said that the plane spoke to her, communicated to her, emotionally – not actually, but in a psychological way, I guess you could say. It was at this moment, according to Earhart, that she fell in love with airplanes and with flying.
Airplanes, of course, were relatively new during this period – a new technology – and Earhart fell in love with this new technology the way many of us have fallen in love with modern Internet and computer technology. It was not until two years later that Earhart began flying planes herself.
In 1920, she was living with her family right here in beautiful Los Angeles, California. When she was here, she went to another flying exhibition, or show, and was able to ride as a passenger in one of the airplanes. She knew immediately that she wanted to be a pilot herself. A “pilot” (pilot) is the person who flies the plane.
So, Amelia Earhart began taking flying lessons. She worked many different jobs to get money to do this. She worked as a truck driver – she drove a big vehicle to deliver things. She also worked for a time as a photographer – someone taking photographs, pictures – but really what she wanted to do most was to fly.
At the end of 1921, Earhart bought her first airplane. The plane was yellow, and so she named it “Canary.” “Canary” (canary) is a type of small, yellow bird. This particular plane was what was called a “biplane,” which meant that it had one set of wings above another set of wings. You’ve seen airplanes, small airplanes, that have two sets of wings, almost like there are two levels of wings. That’s what Earhart bought. It was called, and is called, a “biplane.”
In this plane, Earhart began immediately setting records as a pilot. “To set a record” (record) is to be the best at something, to have the highest score or the highest level of performance at something. Earhart set a record for the highest-flying female pilot when she flew 14,000 feet above the ground. That’s more than 4,200 meters above the ground. Almost immediately, then, Earhart became known as one of the great female aviators of her generation. An “aviator” (aviator) is a pilot. It’s just another word for a pilot.
In 1922, Earhart took a break from flying. She stopped flying for personal reasons, for family reasons. Her parents had gotten divorced, and she and her mother moved to New York to live with her mother’s sister. Soon after that, Earhart herself moved to Boston, which is on the east coast of the U.S., and began working as not a pilot, but a social worker. A “social worker” is a person who helps people who are poor or sick or need help in some way. People who need help finding a place to live or people who have other family problems are often helped by social workers.
It wasn’t until 1928 that Amelia Earhart’s career as an aviator really began. On June 17th and 18th of that year, Earhart rode as a passenger, not the pilot, in an airplane that flew across the Atlantic. It made her the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Earhart wrote a book about her trip called 20 Hours, 40 Minutes, which of course was how long the flight took. It was published by one of the most famous publishers in the U.S., George Putnam, who in 1931 also became Amelia Earhart’s husband.
Earhart did not feel that she deserved to be famous for flying across the Atlantic as a passenger. She promised to do the trip again, but this time as the pilot. In 1932, Amelia Earhart did just that. She left Newfoundland, Canada, on the east coast of Canada, on May 20th, 1932, and landed in Northern Ireland on May 21st. In addition to being the first woman to fly solo, or alone, across the Atlantic Ocean, she set a record for the fastest flight across the ocean for that time. It took her only 14 hours and 56 minutes.
Once again, she wrote a book about her trip. This one was called The Fun of It. Earhart received many awards for her successful flights, including the Distinguished Flying Cross from the U.S. Congress. The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal, an award, given to aviators who do something outstanding while they are flying. It was created originally for military pilots, pilots who were part of the army or navy or other, what we would call, “armed forces.” However, it has been given to some pilots who are not in the military, and Earhart was one of those pilots.
Over the next few years, Earhart continued flying and working. Her work in some ways made it possible for other women who wanted to become pilots to become aviators. Earhart also worked to make commercial aviation, or flying passengers who pay money from one place to another, a popular form of travel in the United States.
In 1932, Earhart flew solo – by herself – across the United States. This was the first solo flight by a female pilot across the country. She flew across the country again in 1933, beating her own record – flying even faster than she did the first time. In January 1935, she became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California. Hawaii is a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Many pilots had tried before her, but none had been successful. Earhart also flew from Los Angeles to Mexico City and from Mexico City to New York City. So, she flew quite a bit.
In 1935, Earhart began working at Purdue University, which is located in Indiana, about 125 miles southeast of Chicago in the Midwestern part of the U.S. At Purdue, Earhart was a career counselor to female students. A “career (career) counselor (counselor)” is someone who helps students decide what they should do with their education, what kind of job they should get. Earhart was a career counselor to female students.
Purdue supported Earhart’s career, in addition to being a counselor, as a female aviator, and in 1936, the university bought her an airplane which she called the “Flying Laboratory.” A “laboratory” (laboratory) is normally a place where scientists do experiments and tests to learn new information. Earhart wanted to use her airplane to learn new information. She decided to achieve her dream of flying around the world in this new airplane.
She and her husband worked together for the next year to get money for her trip, as well as to plan out the details of the trip. In March 1937, Earhart flew from California to Hawaii with a navigator. A “navigator” (navigator) is the person who is reading the maps and telling the, in this case, pilot where to go. The navigator for Amelia Earhart was Fred Noonan. In Hawaii, however, Noonan and Earhart – who were trying, remember, to fly around the world – were having problems with the airplane. So, they had to cancel the rest of the trip.
However, in June of 1937, the two tried again. This time they were more successful. They flew to Miami, Florida, and then to South America, Africa, India, and New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean. In July of 1937, they started to head back toward the United States to complete their world tour.
On July second, they left New Guinea to fly to another small island, called Howland Island. Unfortunately, they never arrived. There was a U.S. military ship that was sent to Howland Island to help air Earhart land on this very small island. Earhart actually spoke to the people on the ship via radio during her flight. It became clear, however, that Earhart and Noonan were lost. They couldn’t find this island.
Then the radio stopped working, and the plane basically disappeared. President Franklin Roosevelt began a search of the surrounding ocean to try to find Earhart’s plane. Earhart’s husband, George Putnam, and also conducted a search. Neither, however, was successful. Earhart, Noonan, and the airplane were never found.
In her short life, Earhart achieved a great deal. She set many records and inspired many people. She continues to inspire people, especially women interested in flying and aviation. The mystery of Earhart’s disappearance is still one that some Americans write about. Some Americans have even gone to try to find Earhart’s plane somewhere there in the Pacific Ocean.
Let’s turn now briefly to a popular American tradition in high school called the “prom” (prom). The prom is basically a dance that high school students have every year for the oldest students in the school, the students who are about to leave the school – what we would call the “senior class.”
An American high school typically has four levels: grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. Those in grade 9 are called the “freshmen”; in grade 10, “sophomores”; in grade 11, “juniors”; and in grade 12, “seniors.” The prom is really for the senior class. It’s a celebration for those students who are about to graduate.
The main prom comes from another word, “promenade” (promenade), which is an old-fashioned word meaning to take a walk at a slow and enjoyable speed, or pace. No one knows exactly when the high school prom began as a tradition, but certainly by the 1940s, high school proms were common in many parts of the U.S. Before this time, there were of course dances at schools and universities, but it was only in the 1940s that high schools across the country began having proms as a regular event for their students.
In the beginning, proms were just dances held at the high school, usually in the high school gym. The “gym” (gym) is the gymnasium, where usually you play sports such as basketball. The dances were held in the school gym. In the 1950s, the girls who went to the dance wore very nice dresses, and the men – the boys – began to wear nice pants and jackets. It became then a formal event, a formal dance.
As the dance became more formal, it began to move from the school to a nicer location. Often it would be held at a hotel, or sometimes even at what we would call a “country club.” A country club is a place usually connected to a golf course, where people have to pay money to become a member. Usually, country clubs have a big area for parties and events such as this.
As I say, the prom began to become more formal. The girls began to wear very formal, fancy dresses. The boys began wearing suits and tuxedos. A “tuxedo” (tuxedo) is a very formal suit that typically you will only see at a wedding or at a prom. Traditionally, in the high school prom, the boys ask, or invite, the girls to go to the prom with them. This, of course, is the cause of a great deal of social anxiety among many students. They’re worried that they won’t be asked, and the boys are worried that the girls won’t say yes.
In recent years, the prom has become more and more of an event. Parents, for example, will often rent a limousine – a fancy long car with a professional driver – to take the students to the dance and perhaps to some other party after the dance. At the prom, the students have food and drinks, but no alcohol, because they’re still high school students. Well, at least there’s no alcohol served at the dance.
In recent years, proms have become something of a source of controversy. A “controversy” (controversy) is some sort of public disagreement, something that people disagree about. There have been many different kinds of controversies related to proms in terms of who gets invited and the way that students are supposed to dress or behave at the prom.
In fact, apparently some schools have started what has been called the “anti-prom.” “Anti” (anti) means against. So, the “anti-prom” would be people who are protesting the prom for whatever reason. The idea behind the anti-prom is that everyone is welcome, and it doesn’t matter how you dress or whom you invite. I don’t think these anti-proms are really that popular. It’s the sort of thing that gets in the newspaper, but for the large majority of high schools, the prom is still an important event for high school students.
Did I go to the prom? Well, actually I didn’t. She said no. I know. It’s sad. Let’s not talk about it. Instead, let’s answer a few of your questions.
Our first question comes from Toshi (Toshi), originally from Japan, now living in Switzerland. Toshi wants to know the difference between the word “ethics” and “morals.” This is a good question, but a difficult one to answer, because often people use these two words to mean the same thing or to express the same idea. What is that idea? Basically it’s the principles about what is right and wrong. That could be defined as your “ethics” (ethics) or as the “morals” (morals) of a person.
“Ethics” are about what is right and what is wrong. Is it right to steal? Is it wrong to not pay your taxes? These are questions about how we behave that would fall under, or be part of, what is called “ethics.” The study of ethics, of course, is very old. From the very first writings that we have, you see questions of ethics appear in our earliest literature. Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, wrote a wrote a whole book called Ethics.
“Morals” tend often to relate to your standard of behavior that is related perhaps to your beliefs, including your religious beliefs, about something. When we use a related word, “morality” (morality), we’re often referring to whether something is right or wrong based on some other belief system, including a religious belief system.
“Ethics” tends to be a little more popular nowadays when talking about principles of right and wrong. The word “ethics” is more strongly connected to, say, the philosophy department at the university, versus “morals,” which would be more connected perhaps with a department of theology or religious studies.
However, the two words are often used, as I said at the beginning, to mean the same basic thing, which is the principles, the standards, that you have about what is right and wrong in a given situation.
Kanika (Kanika) from Cambodia in Southeast Asia would like to know the meanings of the expressions “on the very first day” and “on the very day.” Let’s start with “on the very day.” The word “very” here is used more than anything else for emphasis – to say, “Yes, exactly on that date.”
We might use this expression when two things happen on the same day that perhaps are related. “I graduated from high school, and on the very day I did, I got my driver’s license.” “On the very day” here is emphasizing that it was the same day – the exact date, if you will – that the other thing occurred. You usually hear this expression “on the very day” with either “that” or “of.” “On the very day of my graduation.” “On the very day that I graduated.” That would be how we would use that particular expression.
“On the very first day” just refers to the first day of some period of time. “On the very first day of school” would be the day that school begins. Once again, “very” is just used for emphasis. You could say, “On the first day of school” instead of “On the very first day of school.” They mean pretty much the same thing. If you use “very,” you’re trying to emphasize the fact that it was the first day. That’s really the only possible difference there.
Our final question comes from Fadil (Fadil) in Saudi Arabia. The question has to do with two words: “warrant” and “address,” both used as verbs. Let’s start with “to warrant” (warrant). “To warrant” means to lead someone to react to something in a certain way. We would also use the verb “to justify” (justify). “To warrant” is to justify a certain course of action. “Cheating on an exam in school warrants punishment.” “Warrants” means “justifies.” It is correct to have punishment if you cheat on a test.
You’ll often hear this verb, however, in the expression “warrants your attention.” “This problem warrants your attention” means this problem deserves or demands your attention. It’s so important, you need to pay attention to it.
“To address” (address) means to take some course of action in order, often, to solve the problem. It’s not related directly to “warrant” in any way. “To address” something means to actually do something. “To warrant” something means that you should do something, but “to address” something means that you actually do, do something. “We need to address this problem. This problem is very serious – it warrants our action.” What does it warrant? Specifically, it warrants that we need to do something, and when you do something, you “address” the problem.
So, “warrant” means that it justifies a certain action or demands a certain action. “Address” is when you actually take action. If I say, “I’m going to address your concerns,” that means I’m actually going to do something to help solve the problem or to take care of whatever concern you have about this situation.
One other use of the word “address” is to give a speech. We talk about the principal addressing the audience, or the speaker addressing the people in the stadium. They are talking to, usually giving some sort of formal speech to, these people. “Address” has a third meaning, which is to put the physical location of somewhere on an envelope or on a package. “I need to address this envelope” means I need to put the location where I want the envelope to go when I mail it.
From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on the English Café.
ESL Podcast’s English Café was written and produced by Dr. Jeff McQuillan and Dr. Lucy Tse. Copyright 2014 by the Center for Educational Development.
Glossary
stunt flying exhibition – a performance with pilots flying small airplanes doing difficult and risky tricks in the air
* One of the planes at the stunt flying exhibition flew upside-down and sideways!
biplane – a small airplane with two sets of wings, one set above the body (main section) of the airplane and the other set below
* The plane that the Wright brothers built and flew was a biplane.
record – the best performance at a sport or activity, usually related to speed or distance
* At the last summer Olympics, many athletes set records for swimming races in the fastest time ever.
aviator – pilot; a person who flies an airplane
* The American military has aviators who fly many different types of airplanes.
solo – alone; by oneself
* Li needed time alone so she decided to travel solo to Paris for a few days.
laboratory – a place with special equipment and materials where scientists do tests and experiments to learn new information
* The scientists in the laboratory tests the effects of new medication on rats.
navigator – a person who reads maps and tells a driver or pilot where to go; the person responsible for finding a route to travel to reach a destination
* Ambika was the navigator for the trip, so she sat in the passenger seat and told the driver which roads to take.
senior class – the group of students who are in their final year of high school or undergraduate university studies
* Most members of the senior class plan to start studying at a university after graduation.
to promenade – to take a walk at a slow and enjoyable pace, usually in a public place
* The king and queen said hello to each of the guests as they promenaded around the garden.
country club – a place where people pay a fee to become a member and are allowed to use its restaurants, meeting spaces, golf courses, and other sports areas
* Javier and his father played golf at the country club every Saturday morning.
tuxedo – a formal suit worn by men that usually includes black pants, a white shirt, a black jacket, a wide black belt called a cummerbund and a bow tie
* Men usually wear a tuxedo to attend very formal weddings.
controversy – something that causes public disagreement
* When the zookeeper was killed by one of the lions, there was a huge controversy about what to do with the lion.
anti-prom – a party held as a way of showing disagreement with traditional school proms (parties held for students in their final year of high school)
* The students attending the anti-prom decided to dress in casual clothes and not in formal dresses and tuxedos.
ethics – beliefs about right and wrong that govern or control a person's or group's behavior
* Doctors must often think about the ethics of their action when they decide what to tell their patients.
morals – a person's standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do and what is right and wrong
* Joe has no morals! He often lies to his friends for his own gain.
on the very first day – the first day of a period of time or a certain series of days
* Kianu was nervous on the very first day of his new job, but felt better after a week.
on the very day – on the day itself; on a specific date that something is planned or expected to occur
* Lionel had been looking forward to the birth of the new baby, but on the very day of her arrival, he was stuck in traffic and couldn’t reach the hospital before she was born.
to warrant – to justify a certain course of action; to lead someone to react to something in a certain likely and reasonable way
* What he did was terrible, but did it warrant the school principal’s harsh punishment?
to address – to apply or take a course of action directed toward something
* How are going to address all of these complaints about our new product?
What Insiders Know
The Glass Slipper Project
A “charitable organization” is an organization that tries to help people. The Glass Slipper Project is a charitable organization helping teenage girls who want to go to prom.
The prom may be a part of what many teenagers look forward to as she goes through high school, but not everyone has money to purchase their own prom dress. Formal dresses can be very expensive and cost $100 to $400.
“Founded” (started) in 1999 in Chicago, Illinois, the Glass Slipper Project is one of the first and the largest charitable prom organizations in the United States. The Project helps high school girls in Chicago and its surrounding areas by providing free prom dresses and “accessories” (additional decorative items, such as jewelry and purses). The organization collects new and almost-new prom dresses and accessories and gives them away to girls who do not have or are unable to purchase their own.
The Glass Slipper Project has its own “boutiques” (small stores with fashionable clothes or accessories) that “house” (contain; provide space for) a wide variety of prom dresses. “Personal shoppers,” people who “volunteer” (do work without pay to help others) help the girls select the best items for them, finding just the right dress and accessories.
The project has received “acclaim” (praise and attention) from both local and national “media” (television, radio, and Internet broadcasters and publishers), and was even featured on the famous talk show The Oprah Show during its first year of operation. As of 2012, the Glass Slipper Project had provided assistance to more than 17,000 girls.