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Dr. Jeff McQuillan guides listeners through a practical scenario: a trip to a new public library. The episode first narrates the experience, from checking hours and exploring sections to finding and checking out a book. Following the story, Dr. Jeff provides detailed explanations of key vocabulary and phrases used in the narrative, covering everything from library staff roles and book categorization to online catalogs, call numbers, and the specifics of the borrowing and returning process.
[A knock on the door.] Jeff: Come in. Julie: Hi, Dr. McQuillan, I'm Julie Taylor. I'm in your 2 o'clock class on Thursdays. Jeff: Hi, Julie. Have a seat. What can I do for you? Julie: I wanted to come see you during your office hours because I missed class last week. I had a family emergency . Jeff: I'm sorry to hear that. We went over a lot of material so make sure you get the notes from another student in class. Julie: Thanks, I will. Did you give any assignments ? Jeff: Yes, I assigned an ess...
Lucy: Jeff, here's a question . I was just talking to Dawn. You know, they had their first wedding anniversary last week. Guess what her husband gave her as a present. Jeff: I don't know. What? Lucy: He gave her a vacuum cleaner . Jeff: Didn't she want a vacuum cleaner? Lucy: Yes, the old one was broken, but that's not the point ! It was their wedding anniversary, their first one. Dawn was really upset that he wasn't more romantic. He really let her down . Jeff: Oh, great. Women are always sayin...
I really wanted to see the new exhibit at the art museum and invited Lucy to come along. We both like contemporary art and this was an exhibition for an artist that we've both liked, ever since she was an up and coming artist 10 years ago. This was a retrospective so there was going to be a lot of different types of work by the artist. There would be some of the artist's paintings , her early work. There would also be some of her sculptures . Her most recent work is mixed media . This is very ve...
It's Friday night and my roommate and I feel like staying in . We've both had a tough week at work and decided to have a low-key evening. On my way home, I stopped at the video rental store and rented a couple of movies. I got a new release and a classic . I thought I had left my membership card at home but found it at the last minute . I like going to my local rental store because it doesn't charge late fees. That's handy when I don't have time to return the DVDs the next day. My roommate and I...
The local branch of my bank is located just a few blocks from where I live. It's very convenient, since it has four ATMs open 24/7 . Today I had to go in to make a deposit , but since I wanted to cash a check as well, I needed to go inside to talk to a teller . Inside the bank, I got in line for the tellers. All the tellers are behind a large piece of bulletproof glass , so you have to speak up when you are talking to them. Anyway, when I got to the head of the line, the cashier said, " How may ...
I was driving down the Santa Monica freeway yesterday, headed towards downtown, when all of a sudden I see my engine light come on . Needless to say , that's not the sort of thing one likes to see. So I immediately pull over to the side of the road and park on the shoulder . I pop the hood and look to see what the problem might be. I'm no mechanic . I barely know how to change the oil and the wiper fluid ‚ but perhaps something would pop out at me. The car didn't overheat , since there was no st...
My friend Jim and I decided to see the latest blockbuster this weekend. I like a good action movie once in a while. We decided to meet at the movie theater after work . When I got the theater, I looked around and didn't see Jim. So, I thought I would get in line to buy tickets . There were two different lines so I asked a woman standing in the first one, "Is this the line for Mission Impossible 4 ?" and she said, "Yes, I'm afraid it is." I turned around and saw why she said that. It was really l...
(The phone rings.) Lucy: Hello. Jeff: Hey Lucy, it's Jeff. Lucy: Hey, welcome back. How was your vacation? Jeff: Oh, it was great. The seven days in New York was a blast . Lucy: Oh, yeah? Did you do any sightseeing or just visit with friends? Jeff: I got to do both, actually. First, I saw my friend Edmundo who just moved there. He hadn't seen much of the city himself so we went to all the tourist spots . We got a guidebook and went to the major museums , saw a play , went to a concert in Central...
Going to the doctor is never particularly pleasant for me. But I couldn't put it off any longer. It was time for my annual physical , and there was no getting around it . So I picked up the phone and called for an appointment. " I'd like to see Dr. Shimoya next week, please, if that's possible," I said. Of course, it wasn't possible. The doctor was booked until next month, the receptionist told me. "Okay," I said, "let's schedule it for next month.‚" When the day arrives, I drive over to the doc...
My interview is today. It is with a marketing company. It is a large corporation with its headquarters in San Francisco, CA. It also has satellite offices across the U.S. and in Europe. I'm not sure if this would be the right fit for me, but I'm keeping an open mind . I got some sound advice from my aunt. She said that I should be confident but not cocky . That means I have to look for opportunities to talk about my qualifications, but don't make the mistake of boasting or worse, making things u...
I've finally landed my first interview. Well, actually, that's not really true. I have been on many interviews for part-time jobs. This was my first interview for a full-time job. In less than two months, I will graduate from Arizona University. After a lot of back and forth trying to decide on a major , I finally decided to double major . I would study both political science and marketing . These are not majors that usually go together . In fact, most people thought I was crazy. But, after a lo...
Dear Dr. Lee: I don't know if you'll remember me, but I introduced myself to you after your keynote at last week's conference . As I mentioned to you, I have read all of your journal papers and I am a great admirer of your research . Your article in the top journal Language Learning was groundbreaking. The reason I am contacting you is that I would like to come to your university to study with you. I met some of your students at the conference and they couldn't stop singing your praises as a pro...
I'm not what you would call the world's best negotiator, but sometimes it's necessary to engage in a tough negotiation . Take, for instance, the time I had to renew the lease on my apartment. This was back in college, when I was renting a small studio in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles. When my lease was up , the landlord and I sat down to hammer out the terms of a new lease. " I'll tell you what I'm going to do ," he said. "I'm going to give you a break on rent if you sign a two-year lease...
Fall is once again upon us , and that means that homecoming celebrations are just around the corner . Homecoming is an American tradition each September and October for high schools and colleges where they celebrate their school spirit with a football game and other celebrations. I remember the homecoming events when I was in school. First, there was the election of a homecoming king and queen. Each class had its own representative, one boy and one girl, usually the most popular jock and the cut...
It's hard to watch TV these days without seeing reality shows. Some nights, it's hard to find a scripted drama to watch. There are so many different kinds of reality shows, too. The most popular one in the U.S. has been the "American Idol" show. This is a singing competition where amateurs try to impress the judges and the audience calls in to vote off a contestant each week. The last person left standing gets a recording contract. I think many countries now have a reality show like this. This s...
I moved into the new apartment last month and decided to invite a few friends over for a house-warming party . I didn't want to spend the day cooking, so I decided to have a barbeque . The food would be easy to prepare and I could cook it when my friends got here. But first, I had to go get a few things at the supermarket . I got to the store and got a cart . I started out in the meat department . It wouldn't be a barbeque without hamburgers so I bought some ground beef. I also picked up some ch...
My niece is turning 8 next week and I decided to buy her a new pet . She had been asking her parents for a pet for a long time. But, they were worried about taking care of a pet. I told them I would go to the pet store to see if I could find a pet that wouldn't be too much of a bother . I walked into a big pet store and looked around. I saw cages with dogs and cats. There were also bird cages with birds of every color. I even saw some snakes! I saw a sales clerk and asked him for help. I told hi...
I needed a new dress for a wedding I was attending next week so I went to the mall during my lunch hour. The mall had a big variety of stores, including two department stores so I was sure to find something that was just right. I found a space in the parking structure and entered the mall through the main entrance. This was right next to the food court . Okay, where to start? I headed to one of the two department stores. On the way there, though, I saw a nice dress in a window display of a women...
I was so glad it was Friday afternoon. I've been thinking-- TGIF --all day. I was on my way out of the office when I saw Nick sitting at his desk. Even though the office was nearly empty, he didn't look like he was ready to leave. In fact, he looked like he was still swamped with work. Linda: Hi, Nick. You're here late. Nick: Yeah, it looks like this may be an all-nighter . I just got a project dumped in my lap . Linda: You're kidding! On Friday afternoon? What happened? Nick: Well, the person w...
One of my favorite hang-outs is a cafe near where I live called Bolivar in Santa Monica. It's only five minutes away , and its never too busy to find a table. Sometimes it can be bustling , but that's usually just in the morning during rush hour or at lunchtime . The owners are from Venezuela, and always have some cool music playing in the background. Yesterday, I decided to take my New York Times and my laptop and kill a few hours there. I ordered the usual . I'm a regular , the folks there kno...
Would you want to have a special talent in something? Maybe as a musician or an athlete? I'm of two minds about this. Sometimes I watch TV or read about someone who has a special talent. This was true during the Olympics. Some of those athletes I saw were very talented. Whether it was playing soccer, running track, ice skating, or doing gymnastic routines , you could see how gifted they were and how well- trained and focused they were. I get the same feeling when I see musicians who can sing wel...
For me, things never go very smoothly at my local post office. I've learned that if you want to mail a letter , you'll have no problems. But if things get more complicated than that, well, watch out ! Yesterday I went there to mail a small package and to pick up a book of stamps . I waited my turn in line, and when I get up to the window, the clerk asks me, "What can I do for you?" "Well," I said, "I need a book‚no, make that a roll of stamps. And I need to send this package priority to San Fran...
I fell into the habit of reading the newspaper every morning when I was a kid. Back then , there used to be two daily newspapers--morning edition and an afternoon edition. Nowadays, of course, many cities in the U.S. have just a morning paper. I'm not too picky about which newspaper I read, although when it comes to national newspapers, I prefer reading the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal over the USA Today . Don't get me wrong : I'm not a news junkie . I just like browsing the differe...
I stopped by the drugstore last night on my way back home from work. I had a few toiletries to pick up , as well as my prescription . Fortunately, the chain pharmacy where I go has a little bit of everything: food, greeting cards , magazines--it's almost as big as a regular supermarket. To begin with, I needed to get some medications for my allergies . I've got hay fever , so I'm sneezing up a storm every morning when I wake up. While I was at it , I also got some antacids and some Band-Aids . N...
Yesterday, I was talking to an ex-colleague of mine who, quite frankly , has something of a big mouth . I bumped into him at the beach, where he was walking his dog. Anyway, as I was saying, he's the kind of guy that's always bad mouthing his co-workers . So he comes up to me and says, "Hey, Jeff. Long time, no see . What've you been up to?" "Ah, not much, " I said. "Well, guess who I saw yesterday? John Robeson, the guy from accounting at Firth Industries. You remember him, the guy with big ear...
I admit that I'm not very good at small talk . When I'm with friends, I can just shoot the breeze all day long . But when I talk to a stranger or someone I don't know very well, I'm always casting about , searching for something to talk about. Politics and religion are definitely taboo subjects, at least here in the United States. But you have to chat about something, otherwise there are these uncomfortable silences. So we end up talking about‚ what else? ‚ the weather. This usually begins with ...
I came across some good advice while reading this week. If you're like me, you spend most of your time thinking about all of the things that are on your "to-do‚" list and you try to figure out how you're going to do them all. Or, sometimes, I think about things that have already happened. Maybe I messed up my presentation at work or had a fight with my boyfriend. People dwell on these kinds of things all of the time. The book I was reading made a very good point . If you're constantly thinking a...
I've had a really busy day today. I rolled out of bed at around 7:00 AM, like every morning, and jumped in the shower. After brushing my teeth and shaving, I picked up my morning paper from the front sidewalk and started reading it. I like to eat breakfast when I read the paper, so I poured myself a bowl of cereal. At around 7:30, I went into my office and sat down to go over my to-do list. First, it was off to the post office to check my P.O. box. Then I went to the public library down the stre...
Lucy: Hey Jeff, can I pick your brain for a minute?Jeff: Sure, what's up? Lucy: Well, I have a sticky situation at work and I wanted to get your input . You're always so tactful .Jeff: Thanks. I'm not sure I can help but I'll give you my two cents.Lucy: Well, it's like this. There's this guy I work with who is always making jokes about the boss. Don't get me wrong. I like a good joke now and then , especially about the boss. But, sometimes he goes too far . Jeff. What do you mean? Lucy: Well, ju...
