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Hello everyone and welcome back to EnglishPod. My name is Marco

and my name is Catherine and today we have a great elementary level lesson, all about having fun.

That’s right. Today we are going to have a lot of fun and well before we explain what exactly we’re going to do, why don’t we take a look at vocabulary preview.

Vocabulary preview

Okay. So, the word we’re previewing today is announce a thing. It’s a roller coaster.

All right, a roller coaster. So that’s what we’re going to do today. We’re going to get on a roller coaster. But what is a roller coaster?

Well, a roller coaster is something that we see often times in parks, amusement parks and it’s like a little train but it can go upside down and it goes very fast and it turns and is supposed to make you scared and happy.

Okay. So, it goes very fast and yet many people have probably seen it. It goes very fast and as you said up and down and well, you just get on it because it’s fun. It go fast and you get scared because you’re going so fast and sometimes you’re going upside down.

Exactly. And for some reason I don’t know why but in many romance languages, the name is Russian mountains.

Exactly, yeah. It’s also in Spanish, it’s also a Russian mountain.

Yeah. So, I think the reason is because back in the day, back you know a hundred years ago when we were starting the first roller coasters came from Russia. Yeah.

So, that’s why it’s called—

Well, that’s a theory. I’m not sure. But take a listen to today’s dialogue. We’ll hear it one time and when we come back, we’ll be talking about more interesting and exciting phrases and words about roller coasters.

I’m so excited! We are finally here! Six Flags Magic Mountain! This is the best amusement park in the world!

Alright settle down now, you’re gonna give yourself a heart attack.

I can’t believe they charged us dollars each. It seems like such a rip off don’t you think? It’s not like I’m gonna get on these things.

Whoa. . . Viper! That’s the world’s highest and fastest roller coaster! You go at more than one hundred miles per hour! I wanna go on that one! Can I mom please? Can I ?

Chris I’m not sure you should get on that it seems a bit too much for you and we just had breakfast thirty minutes ago. I don’t think it’s a good idea.

Aww come on mom! I can handle it. I promise I wont ask for anything else! Besides, it’s not like I’m gonna throw up or anything. . .

Let him go Carol, he’ll be fine.

Alright! Yeah! This is amazing! See how high up we’re going? Whoa. . . mmmf mmfff barf.

All right, we’re back. So, interesting. I think this is very common. You get on one of these things. You go so fast that you just throw up.

Have you ever thrown up?

On a roller coaster? No, never.

No, me neither. All right, maybe it’s not that common but let’s take a look at some of the words that we hear in this conversation between a boy and his parents.

All right, so as we mentioned, this word throw up, to throw up. Why don’t we take a look at that one first. Although it’s almost at the end of the dialogue. What is it to throw up?

Okay. Well, to throw is different than to throw up. So remember that these two words go together to mean to vomit. That means that the things in your stomach come out your mouth.

So, like we heard in the dialogue.

Yeah, it’s a very disgusting sound.

Yeah

Right? And so sometimes people throw up when they eat too much. Sometimes they throw up when they’re sick. And sometimes they throw up after riding a roller coaster. And so, this is this is an important phrase to know.

Or, like when you’re on the boat you get seasick and you throw up. Or on a car sometimes you get carsick. Alright, so as we mentioned we’re also visiting an amusement park. So, why don’t we explain this word a little bit, amusement park.

Okay, first of all, everyone probably knows the word Park. You know it’s a public place. But in this case, an amusement park is a park of fun. Amusement means fun and so it’s usually a place that you go to and you pay a price and they give you a ticket and you can play all day long. So, we have roller coasters and food and shows.

So, probably the most famous or well known amusement park is Disneyland. So, that’s an amusement park.

Exactly and there’s lots of fun things to do for people of all ages.

All right. And now, the kid was so excited that the mom said all right you’re going to give yourself a heart attack.

Okay, well a heart attack is another serious health issue. We talked about throwing up before. It’s when your heart stops beating.

Right, okay.

Right. So, maybe something is stuck or there is some problem with your heart and there’s no more blood going through your heart. And so, it’s a very very serious issue, but in this case she saying you’re so excited, you might hurt your heart. You’re gonna have a heart attack.

You might hurt yourself because you’re so excited.

Right. So, she’s exaggerating. That’s not really going to happen but she’s trying to warn him.

All right. And now, the father mentioned that they paid $35 for each of their tickets and he thought it was a rip-off.

Okay rip-off is a great great phrase that we use in spoken English to describe something that’s unfair. So, a price that’s unfair.

Okay. So, you can maybe go to the market, right? And you ask how much a sweater is and they’ll tell you it’s $100. You think that’s a rip-off.

What a rip-off. I can buy a sweater for $20. So, 100 is definitely a rip-off.

All right, so that’s a rip-off. It was a rip-off. He’s not very happy with how much money he paid.

Not at all.

All right and now, the kid was talking about the roller coaster that is the highest and fastest roller coaster. And he said that the speed was at more than 100 mph. So, what about this miles per hour?

This is very important if you go to America, you’ll see that the speeds on the road are all in miles per hour. So, mile is a distance

Okay

and per our means, how many miles you can travel every hour. So, in one hour, you can go 100 miles.

So, we have the equivalent, right? We have like kilometers per hour.

Exactly. And so, miles per hour, kilometers per hour. These are both called speeds.

Okay. And well, this is called the Imperial system, right? You use miles. You use inches and feet. Whereas the kilometers or centimeters or meters, you would use the metric system, right?

Exactly. Because the counting is done by meters. Meters, metrics, so in this case we are in America we know that because the speed limit is 100 miles. Or the speed here is 100 miles an hour.

All right.

We know that we’re in America because the speed the boys talking about is miles per hour.

Very good. And I think you use it in North America and that’s pretty much it, right?

I think they use miles in Britain.

Really?

Yeah, I’m not positive. I’ve have to check with my British friends.

Okay. So, that’s all the words we have for language take away. Let’s listen to the dialogue again and we’ll be back to explain some phrases.

I’m so excited! We are finally here! Six Flags Magic Mountain! This is the best amusement park in the world!

Alright settle down now, you’re gonna give yourself a heart attack.

I can’t believe they charged us dollars each. It seems like such a rip off don’t you think? It’s not like I’m gonna get on these things.

Whoa. . . Viper! That’s the world’s highest and fastest roller coaster! You go at more than one hundred miles per hour! I wanna go on that one! Can I mom please? Can I ?

Chris I’m not sure you should get on that it seems a bit too much for you and we just had breakfast thirty minutes ago. I don’t think it’s a good idea.

Aww come on mom! I can handle it. I promise I wont ask for anything else! Besides, it’s not like I’m gonna throw up or anything. . .

Let him go Carol, he’ll be fine.

Alright! Yeah! This is amazing! See how high up we’re going? Whoa. . . mmmf mmfff barf.

All right, we’re back. So now, what don’t we start with three phrases that we have prepared for you today in fluency builder.

Fluency builder

Okay, this first phrase Marco is definitely a parent’s phrase. Okay, this is something that you often hear parents saying to their children. They say, settle down now

settle down now

Teachers say this too, yeah?

Yeah. All right everyone settled down.

That means if I am really excited and I want to talk and I’m running around the room, and my teacher says, settle down now. That means, quiet down, go slowly, sit down, don’t talk. It means calm down.

calm down, yeah.

So, to come down, to relax, settle down. All right and now, the next phrase is a very kids phrase I think, right? That you would use on your parents. So, they say, no you can’t go to your friend’s house. You, come on, please.

Mom, come on.

Alright, so well, what do you mean with that phrase? Come on, come on, what?

So, in this we have a child who is asking something. He’s saying, can you please let me do something. Please, come on. That means, I’m encouraging you to change your mind or to let me do something. So, please let me have my way.

Right, right. All right, so come on and you don’t only use it as a child or with your parents, right? You can encourage your friends to like, come on, come with me to the bar. Come on

Come one, let’s go, come on. I know you want to.

And our last phrase, I can handle it.

Okay, this is next to the phrase, come on. So, the boy is trying to explain that he’s big enough and old enough to go on a roller coaster, but his mother doesn’t know. She says I don’t know. You know, you’re too young. And so, he says, I can handle it. That means I am big enough and old enough to go on a roller coaster. I won’t have a problem.

So, you can do it, right? Basically, I am good enough to do it. So, for example if I give you a very hard project, you can say I can handle it. I can do it.

You could also say I am very busy right now I can’t handle it.

Okay

I can’t. I can’t do it. I’m sorry.

I can’t do it. All right, very good. Interesting phrases there. They’re very useful and very, very common in spoken English in North American, well, a lot of places. So, why don’t we listen to the dialogue for the third time and we’ll be back.

I’m so excited! We are finally here! Six Flags Magic Mountain! This is the best amusement park in the world!

Alright settle down now, you’re gonna give yourself a heart attack.

I can’t believe they charged us dollars each. It seems like such a rip off don’t you think? It’s not like I’m gonna get on these things.

Whoa. . . Viper! That’s the world’s highest and fastest roller coaster! You go at more than one hundred miles per hour! I wanna go on that one! Can I mom please? Can I ?

Chris I’m not sure you should get on that it seems a bit too much for you and we just had breakfast thirty minutes ago. I don’t think it’s a good idea.

Aww come on mom! I can handle it. I promise I wont ask for anything else! Besides, it’s not like I’m gonna throw up or anything. . .

Let him go Carol, he’ll be fine.

Alright! Yeah! This is amazing! See how high up we’re going? Whoa. . . mmmf mmfff barf.

All right. So, this amusement park, Magic Mountain is actually exists in the United States.

It does and Six Flags is really a brand. So there are many different parks, amusement parks, called Six Flags and each one has a different name. I’m not sure where Magic Mountain is but—

That one’s in California.

Yeah?

And you have like Six Flags greater America

Yeah, that’s my Chicago

So, they’re basically amusement parks and they’re famous because they have really great or intense roller coasters, right?

Exactly. So, the one that we heard about in today’s dialogue is called Viper, like the snake. And that one is at the amusement park in California mentioned. But the famous ride in Chicago is Batman the ride. Because you sit on a seat but there’s no place for your feet, so your feet swing in the wind.

And it’s very fast and you don’t actually sit on a train, right? The track is on top of your head.

Exactly. so, you’re hanging.

So, you see everyone downstairs. Not downstairs, down at the bottom.

And I hear they have a very serious problem with people losing their shoes.

I heard about this.

Yeah. People wearing sandals and they just fly off.

Exactly. So, I want to warn everyone if you go to Chicago, you go to these upside down these flipped roller coasters, you should bring real shoes, not sandals.

Well, as we mentioned, in many languages in the romance languages they’re called Russian Mountain so I wonder, for our Russian listeners, do you have any intense or great roller coasters in Russian. I mean if they come from Russia, they should have amazing roller coasters there, right?

That’s right. Or, do you have any idea why we call them Russian mountains in other languages? Please let us know. Our website is Englishpod.com. We also welcome your questions and comments on other issues. So until next time everyone. Bye.