2011年ESL之旅行交通购物 14 Getting a Visa to Travel

 

14 Getting a Visa to Travel

GLOSSARY

relative – a person who is part of one’s family; a person who one shares arelationship with through birth or marriage

* Sheila doesn’t have very many relatives, but her husband is from a huge familyand he has more than 20 cousins.

on board – in agreement; ready and willing to be involved in something andsupport it

* If you can get the boss on board, I’m sure your idea will be a success.

to give (something) a shot – to try to do something, even if it does not seemvery likely to succeed

* Kari asked me to make her birthday cake, and even though my cakes havealways failed in the past, I agreed to give it a shot.

hitch – a minor problem; an obstacle; something that makes it more difficult to dowhat one wants to do

* The company wants to hire new employees, but there’s just one hitch: thereisn’t enough money to pay them!

extended – referring to relatives who are not part of one’s immediate family;aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. (not parents, brothers, sisters, or children)

* Most of his extended family lives on the West Coast, but he grew up inTennessee because his parents moved there when he was a child.

visa – official permission for someone to enter a country and stay there for acertain period of time for a specific purpose, usually put in one’s passport as astamp or sticker

* Do U.S. citizens need a visa to travel to Brazil?

on short notice – without very much advance notice; without very much time todo something

* This restaurant is very popular, so it’s impossible to get a reservation on shortnotice. You need to call weeks in advance.

citizen – a person who is identified with a particular country, with certain rights(like voting) and responsibilities (like paying taxes)

* U.S. citizens are taxed on their worldwide income, regardless of where they areliving when they earn the money.

border – the imaginary line separating two countries or states, showing whereone begins and another one ends

* The Columbia River forms most of the border between Oregon andWashington.

exchange visitor visa – permission to enter the United States as a participant inan exchange program where one applies and meets certain criteria, usually tostudy or work for a certain period of time

* Seymour received an exchange visitor visa to study as a high school student inthe United States for one year.

Visa Waiver Program – a program that allows citizens of 36 countries to enterthe United States for up to 90 days without getting a visa

* Brunei, the Czech Republic, and Malta are three of the countries that participatein the Visa Waiver Program.

State Department – the part of the U.S. government that deals with internationalrelations, passports, and visas

* Raoul is studying Arabic and international relations and hopes to work for theState Department after he graduates.

to get on the horn – to call someone; to use a telephone

* Please get on the horn and invite the heads of each department here for anemergency meeting.

embassy – the building where an ambassador and other staff members live inanother country, officially representing their home country and maintaining therelationship between the two countries

* The embassy hosts a fun barbeque each year on Independence Day andinvites all the U.S. citizens living in that country.

consulate – the building where staff members are officially representing theirhome country, but focus more on assisting individuals and businesses than oninternational relations

* We spent hours in line at the consulate, waiting for our visa interview.

to shape up – to begin to take form; to progress or advance

* The conference is really shaping up. More than 200 people have already paidthe registration fee to attend.

party planning – the act of making arrangements and preparations for a party orgathering

* Party planning is overwhelming! We still have to make the guest list, pick aband, decide what kind of food to serve, reserve a facility, and send outinvitations.

(something) is (one’s) middle name – a phrase used to describe how someoneis very good at doing something and likes to do it

* If you need help baking for the party, give me a call! Baking is my middlename.

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COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does Julian mean when he says, “we can give it a shot”?

a) We can call Julio to talk about it.

b) We can ask Julio to host the party.

c) We can try to have the party.

2. What is Yesenia going to do in the morning?

a) She’s going to make some phone calls.

b) She’s going to do some internet research.

c) She’s going to start choosing the music.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to give (something) a shot

The phrase “to give (something) a shot,” in this podcast, means to try to dosomething, even if it does not seem likely to succeed: “I don’t think we’ll be ableto persuade them to make a donation, but we’ll give it a shot.” The phrase “totake a shot at (something)” has the same meaning: “I haven’t studied math sincehigh school, but I’ll take a shot at helping Jeremy with his homework.” Thephrase “to be a long shot” means that something is very difficult and unlikely tosucceed: “When Franz lost his wallet, he started asking everyone if they hadseen it, even though he knew it was a long shot.” Finally, the phrase “a shot inthe dark” describes making a guess without the necessary information: “That testwas so hard! I had to take a shot in the dark on some of the questions.”

to shape up

In this podcast, the phrase “to shape up” means to begin to take form, or toprogress or advance: “It was really cloudy this morning, but now the day isshaping up beautifully.” The phrase “to shape up” can also mean to begin toimprove one’s behavior: “If your children can’t shape up and quiet down, we’ll need to ask you to take them home.” The phrase “to get in shape” means tobecome healthier and have a better fitness level: “If you’re serious about gettingin shape, you should probably join a gym and buy some good running shoes.”

Finally, as a verb, “to shape” means to influence or affect something in a certainway: “Which authors have shaped your writing style?”

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CULTURE NOTE

Visas for Temporary VisitorsThere are many types of “non-immigrant” (not intended to live in the UnitedStates permanently) visas for people who want to visit the United States for ashort period of time. Here are some of the most “common” (typical; usual) types.

Type J, “Exchange Visitor Visas,” allow people to enter the United States for adefined period of time, usually for an educational or cultural experience. Peoplewho receive these visas can include “au pairs” (nannies; people brought fromanother country to take care of a family’s children), “Fulbright scholars” (studentswho receive competitive scholarships from the U.S. government), professors andteachers.

Type B-1 visas are used for people who are traveling on business. These caninclude businesspeople, nannies, and “competitive athletes” (people playingsports to win something).

Type H visas are used to bring in people who have knowledge, skills, andabilities needed by the United States. For example, an H-1B visa is “issued”

(given) to people who have “highly specialized knowledge” (expertise) in a field,such as computer science or engineering. H-2A visas are given to “migrantlaborers,” or people who come into the country for a few weeks or months towork in agriculture, helping to plant or “harvest” (collect food from plants) “crops”

(plants grown for food, clothing, or some other use).

Students generally have an F-1 or M-1 visa. An F-1 visa is for academicprograms; an M-1 visa is for studying at nonacademic institutions, especially for“vocational” (hands-on; job-related) training. Students who will be studying lessthan 18 hours per week usually have a type B visitor visa instead.

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Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 735: Getting a Visato Travel.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 735. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Go to our website at eslpod.com. Download this episode’s Learning Guide, an 8-to 10-page guide we provide for all of our current episodes that will give yousome additional help in improving your English.

This episode is a dialogue between Yesenia and Julian. It’s going to be abouttraveling to another country and getting special permission, what we call a “visa,”

to go there. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Yesenia: I have a great idea. Let’s plan a big party for your mother’s 70thbirthday. We’ll invite all of your relatives from all over the world.

Julian: I don’t think very many of them can afford to travel half way around theworld for a party.

Yesenia: I’ve already spoken to your rich brother and he’s already offered to payfor your family’s airfare and hotel. If we plan it, he’ll pay for it.

Julian: Julio offered to do that? Well, if he’s on board then we can give it a shot.

But here’s another hitch. My extended family lives in a lot of different countriesand I’m not sure they’ll get visas to visit the U.S., especially on short notice.

Yesenia: Let’s try, anyway. Your cousins in Canada don’t need a visa becausemost Canadian citizens don’t need one to cross the border. What about youruncle in Korea?

Julian: He’s already in the U.S. on an exchange visitor visa until June. Heshould be able to come.

Yesenia: What about your aunt in Greece?

Julian: She won’t need a visa because Greece is one of the countries in the VisaWaiver Program.

Yesenia: Do you think your nephews in South Africa will want to come?

Julian: I’m not sure what the visa situation is there. We’ll have to check with theState Department.

Yesenia: I’ll get on the horn first thing in the morning to see what I can find out. Imight email them and ask them to check with the embassy or a consulate thereto be sure. This party is really shaping up.

Julian: You seem to have it all under control.

Yesenia: Haven’t you always said that party planning is my middle name?

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Yesenia saying, “I have a great idea. Let’s plan a bigparty for your mother’s 70th birthday. We’ll invite all of your relatives from all overthe world.” Your “relatives” are the people who are related to you either becauseyou are their uncle, cousin, niece, nephew, brother, sister – any sort of relationthat is by blood or by marriage. That is, because they are somehow connectedto you biologically – genetically, or because you married someone that is relatedto them. So Yesenia wants to invite all of Julian’s relatives. Julian says, “I don’tthink very many of them can afford to travel (have the money to travel) half wayaround the world for a party.” We say “half way around the world,” we often usethat to indicate on another continent, in another part of the world.

Yesenia says, “I’ve already spoken with your rich brother and he’s alreadyoffered to pay for your family’s airfare and hotel. If we plan it, he’ll pay for it.”

Must be a very rich brother! Julian says, “Julio offered to do that? Well, if he’son board then we can give it a shot.” “To be on board” means to be inagreement with something, to support some project or to be involved in it. Juliansays, “we can give it a shot.” “To give (something) a shot” (shot) means to trysomething even when you are not sure if you are going to succeed – if you aregoing to be successful. He says, “But here’s another hitch” (hitch). A “hitch” is aminor problem, something that makes it more difficult for you to do what you wantto do. He says, “My extended family lives in a lot of different countries.” Your“extended family” are the relatives that are not your brother, your sister, your sonor daughter, or your parents. Everyone else is your extended family: uncles,aunts, cousins, great-grandfathers, and so forth. We call the people who are closest to you – parents, brothers, sisters, and children – your “immediatefamily.”

Julian says that his extended family lives in a lot of different countries, “and I’mnot sure they’ll get visas to visit the U.S., especially on short notice.” A “visa”

(visa) is official permission that a country gives you to visit and stay for a certainamount of time in that country. So if you are coming to the United States, frommany countries you need a tourist visa or a student visa or a work visa to comehere, depending on what you are going to do. The expression “on short notice”

means without a lot of time to do something, without very much advance warningor advance notice. Julian is saying there isn’t a lot of time to get, perhaps, someof these visas, and since it can sometimes take a long time to get a visa to cometo the United States this may be a problem.

Yesenia says, “Let’s try, anyway. Your cousins in Canada don’t need a visabecause most Canadian citizens don’t need one to cross the border.” “To be acitizen” means to be someone who is officially part of a certain country. Youhave certain rights, like voting; you may have certain responsibilities, like payingtaxes. That’s to be a citizen. I’m a citizen of the United States. Some peopleare “dual citizens,” that is, they are citizens of more than one country. The“border” (border) is the line – the imaginary line that separates two countries ortwo different parts of property. It could be two states, it could be two cities; here,it refers to two countries: the United States and the Country of Canada. Yeseniasays most Canadian citizens don’t need a visa to cross the border to come to theUnited States, to go from one side to the other. “What about your uncle inKorea?” Julian says, “He’s already in the U.S. on an exchange visitor visa untilJune.” An “exchange visitor visa” is permission to enter the United States insome sort of exchange program, where some people from your country comehere, some people from our country go to your country. Usually it’s to study or towork for a certain amount of time.

By the way, I am not an expert on visas and coming to the United States, sounfortunately if you email me questions I probably won’t be able to answer them.

If you have real questions about visas, you should talk to the U.S. Embassy or arepresentative of the U.S. government in your country. Or even easier, go on theInternet and go to the website for that.

Anyway, back to our story. Julian has an uncle in Korea, who’s on an exchangevisitor visa. Notice we say “on a visa,” not just “has a visa,” although you couldsay that. Yesenia says, “What about your aunt in Greece?” Julian says, “Shewon’t need a visa because Greece is one of the countries in the Visa WaiverProgram.” The “Visa Waiver Program” is a special program the U.S. has that allows citizens of 36 countries to enter the United States for up to 90 days. Thatis, from 1 to 90 days without having to get a visa. There are many countries inthis program. The Czech Republic, Malta, and Brunei are three countries in theVisa Waiver Program, and no, I don’t know what the other ones are.

Yesenia says, “Do you think your nephews in South Africa will want to come?”

Your “nephews” are, of course, the sons of your brother or sister. Julian says,“I’m not sure what the visa situation is there. We’ll have to check with the StateDepartment.” “The State Department” is the oldest U.S. government department,I believe. It deals with international relations, with passports, with visas. As Irecord this, Hilary Clinton is the head of the State Department. The head of thedepartments we call “secretaries.” She is the Secretary of State. The StateDepartment is the organization that operates all of the U.S. Embassies andConsulates throughout the world. If you go to be their website, you will findinformation about visas, and they have their website in many different languagesas well.

Julian says, “We have to check with the State Department.” Yesenia says, “I’llget on the horn first thing in the morning to see what I can find out.” “To get onthe horn” means to call someone on a telephone. It’s a kind of an oldexpression, but you’ll still here it: “Get on the horn and ask my brother when he’scoming over for dinner.” Yesenia says, “I might email them and ask them tocheck with the embassy or consulate there to be sure.” An “embassy” is theofficial building where one country is represented in another country, usually inthe capital city of that country. So the embassies from all the different countriesof the world that have embassies in the United States are in Washington, D.C.

The “consulate” is the office or building where a foreign government hasrepresentatives, but it’s not in the main city of the country. It’s something otherthan the embassy. So for example, here in Los Angeles we have a consulate formany different governments. The Mexican government, several Latin Americanand Asian governments have consulates here in the United States in differentcities, and specifically here in Los Angeles. If you want to get a visa to come tothe United States, you often have to go to an embassy or a consulate in yourcountry.

Yesenia says, “This party is really shaping up.” “To shape up” is a two-wordphrasal verb that here means to begin to progress, to advance, to begin to startto take form. The word “shape” has several meanings in English, however; takea look at our Learning Guide for some additional explanations. Julian says toYesenia, “You seem to have it all under control,” meaning you seem to haveeverything worked out, you know what you’re doing. Yesenia says, “Haven’t youalways said (haven’t you always told me) that party planning is my middle name?” “Party planning” is just what it sounds like; making plans, makingarrangements for a celebration – a party. We have this expression, “(something)is my middle name,” or “(something) is your middle name.” It means that you arevery good at what you do and you like to do it. So we might say, “Podcasting ismy middle name,” meaning I am so interested and so enjoy doing podcastingthat it is as if it were part of my own name, part of my own identity. Whatever youlove to do – skiing, or going on Facebook, or walking, or reading – you could sayany of those activities are your middle name if you are good at them, and/or ifyou really enjoy doing them.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Yesenia: I have a great idea. Let’s plan a big party for your mother’s 70thbirthday. We’ll invite all of your relatives from all over the world.

Julian: I don’t think very many of them can afford to travel half way around theworld for a party.

Yesenia: I’ve already spoken with your rich brother and he’s already offered topay for your family’s airfare and hotel. If we plan it, he’ll pay for it.

Julian: Julio offered to do that? Well, if he’s on board then we can give it a shot.

But here’s another hitch. My extended family lives in a lot of different countriesand I’m not sure they’ll get visas to visit the U.S., especially on short notice.

Yesenia: Let’s try, anyway. Your cousins in Canada don’t need a visa becausemost Canadian citizens don’t need one to cross the border. What about youruncle in Korea?

Julian: He’s already in the U.S. on an exchange visitor visa until June. Heshould be able to come.

Yesenia: What about your aunt in Greece?

Julian: She won’t need a visa because Greece is one of the countries in the VisaWaiver Program.

Yesenia: Do you think your nephews in South Africa will want to come?

Julian: I’m not sure what the visa situation is there. We’ll have to check with theState Department.

Yesenia: I’ll get on the horn first thing in the morning to see what I can find out. Imight email them and ask them to check with the embassy or consulate there tobe sure. This party is really shaping up.

Julian: You seem to have it all under control.

Yesenia: Haven’t you always said that party planning is my middle name?

[end of dialogue]

Scriptwriting is Dr. Lucy Tse’s middle name. Lucy Scriptwriting Tse!

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2011 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.