British Council-01

Section 1 - “Susan, this is Paul” – introducing
your friends

Ravi: Hello, and welcome to LearnEnglish
elementary podcast number one. My name’s
Ravi…
Tess: … and I’m Tess. We’re your presenters and
we’ve got lots of things for you to listen to today,
but before we start, I think we should introduce
ourselves. Ravi?
Ravi: OK … erm … I’m Ravi.
Tess: Or, I tell you what, I’ll introduce you and you
can introduce me. How about that?
Ravi: Well, OK then. Erm, this is Tess. She’s from
London. She’s … how old are you?
Tess: None of your business, Ravi!
Ravi: And she loves dancing and riding her
mountain bike. OK?
Tess: OK. And this is Ravi. He comes from
Manchester. He’s 23. Oh … aren’t you?
Ravi: Oh yes.
Tess: He likes football, and … he’s a great cook.
Ravi: Thanks! And there’s one more person for
you to meet. I’d like to introduce our producer,
Gordon. Say hello to everyone Gordon!
Gordon: Hello! Pleased to meet you!
Ravi and Tess: Hi Gordon
Tess: And how are you today?
Gordon: Very well thank you Tess.

Section 2: I’d like to meet

Tess: Good! We’ll speak to Gordon again later in
the show but now it’s time to get on with our
programme. We’ve got an excellent show for you
today, and let’s start with our first section, called
‘I’d like to meet’. We ask people a simple question
– which famous person, dead or alive would you
like to meet? And of course, we ask them to
explain why. Our guest today on ‘I’d like to meet’
is Zara Heller from Bristol. Hello Zara and
welcome to the show.
Zara: Hello.
Ravi: Hi Zara.
Tess: And what do you do Zara?
Zara: I’m a student, I’m in my last year at school,
I’m 16.
Tess: Right. Now let’s ask the question. So Zara,
which famous person, dead or alive would you
like to meet?
Zara: I’d like to meet Angelina Jolie.
Ravi: Angelina Jolie. Great - good choice! Tell us
a bit about her.
Zara: She’s an American film actress, she was in
‘Tomb Raider’, and she’s an ambassador for the
United Nations too.
Tess: And why did you choose her to talk about
today?
Zara: Well, because I really admire her. She’s a
famous film star with a lot of money and a famous
celebrity film star husband, but she really cares
about helping people and she uses her money
and her fame to help children and people who are
very poor or have a difficult life. I saw a film about
her on MTV the music channel – it was a video
diary of her visiting Africa and talking about how
to stop poverty, and they were really simple
things, and I thought it was really cool because
MTV doesn’t usually show programmes like that,
it’s usually just music videos and things, but
because she’s famous and beautiful then people
want to see her so she can get a lot of attention
for the things that she wants to change.
Tess: Do you like her films? Do you think she’s a
good actress?
Zara: Yes I do. I don’t think she’s a great actress,
but she’s a good actress, and she’s so beautiful
that you just want to look at her all the time.
Ravi: Yeah.
Zara: I think she’s one of the most beautiful
women in the world. I love watching her, I love all
her films.
Ravi: And what would you like to talk to her about
Zara?
Zara: I’d like to talk about her trips to different
places all around the world, and about Hollywood,
and her family and about what people like me can
do to help poor children.
Tess: Well thank you very much Zara. That was
really interesting. Personally, I’d like to talk to her
about her husband, Brad Pitt. I think he’s
gorgeous.
Ravi: OK Tess, calm down. Erm, for all of you
listening, we’d like to hear from you. Which
famous person, dead or alive, would you like to
meet? And why? Email us at
learnenglishpodcast@britishcouncil.org, that’s
learnenglishpodcast - all one word – AT -
britishcouncil – all one word DOT org, that’s o-r-g.
Let us know which famous person you would like
to meet and why.



Section 3: Quiz

Tess: OK. Now it’s quiz time. Every week we’ll
have a little quiz to get you thinking. This week it’s
the ten second quiz. It’s very easy. We give you a
topic and you give as many answers as you can -
in 10 seconds. Our two players today are Daniel –
Daniel’s 16 and comes from London. Hello Daniel.
Daniel: Hi
Tess: And Alice – Alice is also 16 and she comes
from Liverpool. Hi Alice.
Alice: Hello
Tess: Do you both know what to do? OK. We give
you a topic, and you have to write down all the
words you can think of. For example, we say
‘bathroom’, and you write a list, bath, soap,
shampoo, and so on. As quick as you can. Got
the idea?
Alice: Yeah
Tess: Good. Okay. Let’s play. You’ve got ten
seconds to write down … things you can find in a
kitchen. OK? So, for example you could say
‘microwave oven’. OK? Things you can find in a
kitchen. Go! (sound of clock ticking) OK, Daniel.
How many?
Daniel: Erm, five, Tess.
Tess: How about you, Alice?
Alice: Erm, seven, I think.
Tess: OK, let’s hear your seven words, Alice.
Things you find in a kitchen.
Alice: Erm, fridge. Cooker. Pans. Plates. Knife,
fork, spoon.
Tess: That’s seven. Well done, Alice. How many
did you get, Ravi?
Ravi: Oh, the clock makes me nervous – I can’t
think when the clock’s ticking like that. Maybe the
question next week will be about football.
Tess: Thanks Daniel, thanks Alice. And if any of
you listening have a good game we can play in
quiz time, write to us and let us know. The
address is
learnenglishpodcast@britishcouncil.org. We’d
love to hear your ideas for games we can play.
What’s next, Ravi?

Section 4: Our person in...

Ravi: The next part of the show is called ‘Our
person in’. We’ll listen to people in interesting
places all over the world telling us something
about life in the country they’re in. Today, we’ll
hear from Mike Southern. Mike is … Our man in
New York.
Mike: New York. What do you think of?
Skyscrapers. Taxis. Noise. People. John Lennon
said that New York is the capital city of the world
– and it certainly feels that way.
But in the centre of this exciting, noisy, polluted
city there is a place to find peace and quiet. A
short walk from busy Fifth Avenue in Manhattan
you’ll find Central Park. Central Park is the green
heart of New York City and over 25 million people
come here each year to escape the city. People
run, swim, climb or simply sit and read a book in
the huge park’s different scenery. And it’s not just
for people. Lots of rare birds have made their
home in the park and there are legends of big
cats hiding in the dark trees.
Although it looks completely natural, the park is
man made, created over 150 years ago. Frederick
Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed the park
at a time when the city was a very crowded, dirty
and unhealthy place to live. They wanted to make
a place where rich and poor people could find
fresh air in the dirty city.
It does the same job today. As a friend of mine
always tells me, “Life in New York would be
impossible without Central Park”
Tess: Wow! Really interesting. We’ll hear from
another one of our people next time. Or if you’d
like to write in and tell us something interesting
about your city or town, we’d love to hear from
you. You can send it to us at
learnenglishpodcast@britishcouncil.org

Section 5: Your turn

Tess: Now we’re going out into the street to listen
to ‘Your Turn’
Ravi: In this part of the show, we go out into the
street to find out what people think about our
question of the day. And today we’re going to ask
a question about celebrities - like film stars,
actors, singers – who promote charities and ask
people to give them money or aid. At the
beginning of the show, we listened to Zara from
Bristol talking about Angelina Jolie. Zara talked
about Angelina Jolie’s work for charity. And
nowadays, lots of famous people – celebrities - do
the same. But is it a good idea? So today’s
question is … ‘Is it a good idea for celebrities to
do work for charity?’
Tess: Hmm. ‘Is it a good idea for celebrities to do
work for charity?’ Interesting question. Let’s listen
to the answers.

Voice 1: I think it’s a good thing. People don’t
want to listen to boring politicians but everyone
likes celebrities so they listen to what they have to
say. When Bob Geldof and Bono organised Live8
a few years ago, everybody was talking about

how to end poverty in Africa. My little brother was
only twelve years old, but he was talking about it.
That can’t be bad.

Voice 2: I hate it. The celebrities only want
publicity, and they want us to think that they’re
really nice people, you know, they care about the
world, they care about poverty, so they can sell
more records. But it’s a big lie. They’re not
interested in poor people or the charities at all.

Voice 3: Why is it a problem? The charities need
money, and if celebrities can help them to get
more, then what’s wrong with that? I think that
some celebrities only want publicity, but, well, who
cares! The charities get some money, that’s the
really important thing.

Voice 4: If you think for example, Angelina Jolie or
George Clooney is really cool, then you want to
do the same things that they do. So you might
give to charity too because you want to copy your
favourite star. I think it’s a good thing. Helping
people is cool nowadays.

Voice 5: I think the celebrities do it because they
copy other celebrities. Everyone’s doing it
nowadays – it’s the fashion to do work for charity.
I hate it. These film stars make millions of dollars
for a film and live in houses that cost millions of
dollars, and travel in private planes and stay in
expensive hotels. And then they go and visit some
‘poor people’. It’s ridiculous.

Ravi: OK, some interesting answers there.
Tess: Hmm. Do you have an opinion about this
question? We’d love to know what you think. ‘Is it
a good idea for celebrities to do work for charity?’
Or do you have an idea for a question that we
could ask on Your Turn? Send us an email at
learnenglishpodcast@britishcouncil.org - and we
can take your question into the street.

Section 6: Carolina

Ravi: OK. Now – it’s time to meet Carolina.
Carolina is from Venezuela and she’s visiting
Britain for the first time. It’s a big adventure for her
– she’s going to live, study and she hopes, have a
good time here in the UK – and we’re going with
her!
Tess: Carolina’s going to study in Newcastle in
the north-east of England. She speaks very good
English but this is her first visit to Britain, so some
things are very strange for her. We’re going to
follow Carolina in our podcasts and listen to some
of the conversations that she has in lots of
different situations. Today we’re going to hear
what happened when she first arrived in Britain
from Venezuela. Here’s Carolina at Heathrow
airport in London. Let’s listen to her conversation
at Immigration Control.

Carolina: Excuse me. Am I in the right line for
immigration?
Woman: Erm, I don’t know dear. It depends. What
nationality are you?
Carolina: Venezuelan.
Woman: No, no, this queue’s for British and
European Union members. You need to go …
over there – where it says ‘Other passport
holders’. Can you see?
Carolina: Oh, yes, OK, thank you.

Immigration Officer: Good evening.
Carolina: Good evening.
Immigration Officer: Where have you travelled
from today?
Carolina: From Venezuela, from Caracas.
Immigration Officer: Can I see your passport
please? … Thank you. Is this your first visit to the
UK?
Carolina: Yes it is.
Immigration Officer: And what are you going to do
here?
Carolina: I’m a student. I’m going to study at the
University of Newcastle.
Immigration Officer: Is it a full-time course or a
part-time course?
Carolina: Erm, full-time, it’s a full-time course.
Immigration Officer: Hmm.
Carolina: I’ve got my letter from the university
here. Do you want to see it?
Immigration Officer: Yes please.
Carolina: Here you are.
Immigration Officer: Thank you. And how long is
the course? How long do you intend to stay in the
country?
Carolina: Three years.
Immigration Officer: Three years. Hmm.
Carolina: Yes, that’s right.
Immigration Officer: Do you intend to work in this
country?
Carolina: Oh, no, no, I’m not going to work, well
maybe in the university holidays, but the British
Embassy in Caracas said that was OK.
Immigration Officer: Yes, that’s correct. Students
can work in the holidays.
Carolina: Is everything OK?
Immigration Officer: Yes, everything seems to be
in order. I just need to stamp your passport …

with today’s date. Here you are. Passport and
letter.
Carolina: Thank you.
Immigration Officer: I hope you enjoy your stay.
Newcastle’s a very nice place. Go down the stairs
and turn left to collect your baggage.
Carolina: Thank you very much.
Immigration Officer: Good evening sir. And where
have you travelled …….

Tess: Hmm. Carolina did really well there. Airports
can be so difficult.
Ravi: I think she did really well, too. I hope she
can come and join us in the studio soon. I’d like to
meet her.

Section 7 - The joke

Ravi: Well, that’s almost the end …
Tess: Wait a minute Ravi. Don’t forget Gordon.
Ravi: Gordon? What do you mean?
Tess: He wants to tell a joke.
Ravi: Oh no
Tess: Don’t be horrible. Gordon! Joke time! Come
on Gordon! Are you ready?
Gordon: Yes, I’m here.
Ravi: I hope this is good Gordon.
Gordon: How long have I got?
Ravi: One minute – at the most.
Gordon: OK then. Erm, right. A chicken walks into
a library…
Ravi: A chicken?
Gordon: Yeah. A chicken walks into a library,
walks up to the counter and says to the librarian
“Book, book”. The librarian gives the chicken two
books – she puts the books on the chicken’s head
– and the chicken walks out of the library.
One hour later, the chicken walks back into the
library. It walks up to the counter and says to the
librarian “Book, book”. The librarian gives the
chicken two books and the chicken walks out of
the library.
An hour later, this happens again. “Book, book”,
and the chicken walks out of the library with two
books on its head. But this time the librarian
thinks, “Hmm, this is strange” so she decides to
follow the chicken. She goes out of the library and
follows the chicken. The chicken crosses the
road, walks along the street, turns the corner, until
it comes to the lake. Sitting by the lake is a big, fat
frog. The chicken gives the books to the frog and
the frog looks at them and says “Read it, Read it”.
Tess: Oh Gordon, that’s terrible.
Ravi: And that’s the end of this part of the show.
We have to go now but don’t go away. After this
little break you’re going to hear Tom, our English
teacher. After every show, Tom talks about the
language you heard and gives you ideas to help
you learn. So, don’t go away, but we’ll say
goodbye now. See you next time.
Tess: Bye! Don’t forget to send us your emails!
Here’s that address one more time. It’s
learnenglishpodcast2britishcouncil.org.

Tom the teacher

Tom: Hi, I’m Tom. At the end of every podcast
you’ll hear from me. I’m going to talk about some
of the language you heard in the programmes and
talk about ways to help you learn English.
Remember Carolina in the airport? Listen to part
of her conversation again.

Immigration Officer: Is this your first visit to the
UK?
Carolina: Yes it is.
Immigration Officer: And what are you going to do
here?
Carolina: I’m a student. I’m going to study at the
University of Newcastle.

Tom: Carolina and the Immigration Officer are
talking about the future – Carolina’s time in
Britain. To talk about the future they both use
‘going to’. The Immigration Officer says “And what
are you going to do here?” and Carolina says “I’m
going to study at the University of Newcastle”.
They both used ‘going to’ to talk about the future
because they are talking about plans. When the
Immigration Officer says “What are you going to
do here?” he’s asking Carolina what her plan is.
And she says “I’m going to study” because that’s
her plan – she decided it before she left
Venezuela.
So, we use ‘going to’ to talk about future plans.
But listen to another part of Carolina’s
conversation.

Immigration Officer: Thank you. And how long is
the course? How long do you intend to stay in the
country?
Carolina: Three years.
Immigration Officer: Three years. Hmm.
Carolina: Yes, that’s right.
Immigration Officer: Do you intend to work in this
country?
Carolina: Oh no, no, I’m not going to work, well
maybe in the university holidays, but the British
Embassy in Caracas said that was OK.


Tom: The Immigration Officer said “How long do
you intend to stay in the country?” and “Do you
intend to work in this country?” Again he was
asking about Carolina’s future plans – but he said
“Do you intend”. “Intend” is a formal way to talk or
ask about plans. You might hear this verb,
“intend”, at an airport immigration desk or on an
immigration form. It’s another way to ask about
your plans. One more thing. Did you notice that
when Carolina arrived at the desk the Immigration
Officer said “Good evening”? He didn’t say
“Goodnight”. Do you know why not? We only say
“goodnight” when we say goodbye or when we go
to bed. When we meet someone after around 5
o’clock in the afternoon we say “Good evening”
and we only say “goodnight” to people before we
go home or before we go to bed.
OK. In another part of the show we heard Daniel
and Alice playing a game. Listen to part of it
again.

Tess: You’ve got ten seconds to write down things
you can find in a kitchen. … OK, Daniel how
many?
Daniel: Erm, five, Tess.
Tess: How about you, Alice?
Alice: Erm, seven, I think.
Tess: OK, let’s hear your seven words, Alice.
Things you find in a kitchen.
Alice: Erm fridge. Cooker. Pans. Plates. Knife,
fork, spoon.

Tom: I hope all of you have a notebook where you
keep new words – a vocabulary notebook. Think
about how you put new words into your notebook.
Do you put them in alphabetically? All the words
beginning with ‘A’, then all the words beginning
with ‘B’? Or do you organise your new words
another way? Some people put words into their
notebooks in word families. They put words
together that are connected in some way. For
example, you could have a page in your
vocabulary notebook called ‘kitchen’ and you
could keep all the words from the game – fridge,
cooker, pan – all of those words – on the ‘kitchen’
page of your notebook. You could have pages for,
say, sports –‘football’, ‘tennis’ ‘bowling’ and so on.
And you can write more than just the words – you
can write the verbs that go with the words – ‘play’
football but ‘go’ bowling or ‘go’ ski-ing. There’s no
right way or wrong way to keep your new
vocabulary. You have to find the way that helps
you remember the new words.

OK. Oh, erm, by the way, if there are any words
from the game that you don’t know remember that
you can find them on the website. You can read
all of the podcast and if you click on a word it’ll
take you to a dictionary that tells you what the
word means. We’ll give you that address again at
the end – so go and find a pen to write it down!
Right, finally, after every podcast I’ll try to show
you something that you can try to use in your own
English. This week I heard this interesting
expression:

Carolina: Excuse me. Am I in the right line for
immigration?
Woman: Erm, I don’t know dear. It depends. What
nationality are you?

Tom: Now. There are two things there I want to
talk about. Firstly, the old lady called Carolina
“dear” – she said “I don’t know dear”. Sometimes,
older people might call you “dear”. It’s a friendly,
affectionate thing to do. But be careful! It might
sound a bit strange if you try to use it yourself.
The other thing I noticed was that the old lady
said “It depends”. She didn’t know the answer
because she needed more information. Can you
translate “it depends” into your language? Try to
use it in English this week.
OK. I’m going to stop there. I’ll talk to you all again
next time. Remember you can send your
questions to me at
learnenglishpodcast@britishcouncil.org. I’ll be
happy to answer your questions! In a moment
you’ll hear the address for the website where you
can read everything you’ve heard in this podcast.
Right. That’s all for this time. Bye for now! See
you next time.