Posts tagged The metro
Commuting
03/17/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Most of us travel to work many times in one week. Some of us have a quick little trip and others spend hours on public transportation. This episode is all about that—travelling to and from work. Harp and Maura talk about what commuting is like in Canada, how people get to work, and how long it usually takes them. They also share their own experiences of getting to work every day. If you’re a commuter, listen to this episode on your way to work.
| Harp: | And then we’re gonna talk about our some of our own personal experiences with commuting. |
| Maura: | You know, it is something very personal. Sometimes people love their commute, or they hate their commute. So people really have a strong feeling about it. |
| Harp: | Yes. I definitely agree with you. |
| Maura: | OK. So let’s start by talking about how people get to work in Canada. |
| Harp: | Well, I have to be honest; most people get to work by car. |
| Maura: | That is definitely true. I think, internationally, Canada and the US are known for drivers. People really like to drive around here. |
| Harp: | Yeah. People love their cars and they love driving to work, or anywhere. |
| Maura: | And most of the time, people are alone in their cars. So you have a car with one person driving to their workplace. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To commute/a commute | A carpool/to carpool |
| To take turns | Hardcore |
| A traffic jam | Right off the bat |
| The metro | No problem |
| To hold back | To see where this is going |
| To jaywalk | I don’t blame you |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Culips
Hobbies
10/21/2012
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Here’s another episode based on a great episode idea from a Culips listener! Outside of work or school, hopefully you have some free time just for yourself. In this episode, Maura and Harp discuss hobbies, what hobbies are popular in Canada and the US, and their own hobbies, past and present. Does it really sound natural to ask someone directly, “What are your hobbies?” We’ll answer that question for you too!
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| Harp: | I have to be honest; I didn’t actually ever make anything. I just knit long pieces that could maybe be a scarf, but I didn’t know how to finish it, so I just threw in the towel and gave up knitting. |
| Maura: | Sometimes that happens, too. We start a hobby and then time passes and we realize that we’re not interested, or maybe it’s too difficult, like in your case, and you just want a change. You don’t wanna do it anymore. |
| Harp: | Yeah, exactly. What about you? What were some hobbies you did when you were young? |
| Maura: | Well, when I was a kid, I took dance lessons. |
| Harp: | Oh, that’s fun. What kind of dance? |
| Maura: | I pretty much took it all. I started in ballet, and I took tap dancing for a year or two, and the rest of the years I was doing jazz dancing. |
| Harp: | Oh, that’s fun. |
| Maura: | It was pretty fun and I liked it, but when I become a teenager, I didn’t really wanna do it anymore. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| Free time, spare time, a pastime | An artist |
| Out there | Knitting, scrapbooking, and cross-stitching |
| The metro | To go through a phase |
| What do you do in your spare time? | To stick with someone |
| To take something up | To suck at something |
| To throw in the towel | Ballet |
| To have two left feet |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Image: ©iStock
