Progress Check 3 – Exercise 3 (p. 58)
Interviewer: Welcome to Scholastic Spotlight. Today we’re talking to Jessica Harper, a second year media student. Good to have you in the studio, Jessica.
Jessica: Hey, happy to be here.
Interviewer: So, Jessica, how’s it going so far this year? You settling back in OK?
Jessica: Yeah, fine. It’s a lot easier second time round to find your sea legs so to speak.
Interviewer: So, what’s the major difference you’ve noticed between this time last year and now?
Jessica: Well, navigating the ins and outs of life on campus is much easier when you know the lay of the land. I no longer feel like a fish out of water and my workload is a bit more manageable, now that I know what to expect, but a striking difference that I maybe wouldn’t have expected is how much more I miss home this time round. I guess I was so caught up in the newness of everything and trying to meet new people and make new friends last year that I didn’t have time to miss anyone.
Interviewer: How can you not have the time to miss people?
Jessica: OK, it wasn’t so much that I didn’t have the time, more that my mind was occupied with so many other things. Last year was a huge undertaking, the first time I’d lived away from home and I was concentrating so much on making it work and putting all my energy into it, that I suppose my priorities were shifted. But after catching up with all my friends and family over the summer, I realised how much I missed them. So this year I’m going to make a concerted effort to keep up-to-date with everything that’s happening with them. I mean it’s important not to lose contact with where you come from because that constitutes a major factor in who you are.
Interviewer: Too true, and there are lots of ways to catch up with loved ones.
Jessica: Absolutely, but not every method is suitable for everyone.
Interviewer: What do you mean?
Jessica: Well, I use social media to message my friends. It’s great for catching up with someone wherever they are and you can stay in constant contact, continuously updating your information. It’s perfect for the younger generation. But I would never use it to talk to my parents or my grandparents. It just doesn’t seem right, and, quite frankly, my grandparents wouldn’t know their way around it, they aren’t exactly tech savvy although I did manage to get my grandad to download an instant messaging app on his phone before I left.
Interviewer: And how’s that going?
Jessica: He’s struggled a bit with it. I’ve had a few conversations with him over the phone trying to talk him through all the functions, but he loves the fact that I can send him pictures and videos of what I’m doing. It’s a great way to include him in my new life. Another great way to include everyone is with video calling on the computer. With that we can have a face-to-face conversation with the whole family, my parents, my grandparents, my brother, who’s studying in France, and me. The only problem with that is arranging when we’re all free.
Interviewer: Yeah, group chats can be fun, but you can also miss a lot if people are talking at the same time.
Jessica: Mmm, they do take a bit of getting used to, but I think the novelty of seeing everyone is worth it. Plus, you can use it to make telephone calls. I didn’t see the point in getting a landline while I was studying but my parents and grandparents still have theirs and I use the computer to call them. My grandma is very happy about that. She loves having long conversations on the phone.
Interviewer: She sounds like most people’s grandmas.
Vocabulary
settling back in: to have returned to where you used to live, and to get accustomed once again to life as it used to be, with your old habits.
E.g.
When the war was over I settled back into my routine" = Terminado la guerra regresé confortablemente a mi rutina.
sea legs: a person's ability to keep their balance while walking on a moving ship and to not be ill.
E.g.
find/get your sea legs I felt awful yesterday. But, thankfully, I’ve found my sea legs now
It won't take you long to find your sea legs.
the ins and outs of something all the facts and details of something.
E.g.
The book guides you through the ins and outs of choosing and growing garden flowers.
the ins and outs of the problem
He quickly learned the ins and outs of the job
the lie of the land (British English) (North American English the lay of the land)
1. the way the land in an area is formed and what physical characteristics it has
E.g.
The castle was hidden by the lie of the land.
2. the way a situation is now and how it is likely to develop.
E.g.
Check out the lie of the land before you make a decision.
be/get caught up in something to become involved in something, especially when you do not want to be.
E.g.
Innocent passers-by got caught up in the riots.
undertaking: an important job, piece of work, or activity that you are responsible for. Sp. proyecto, tarea.
E.g.
Starting a new business can be a risky undertaking.
A concerted effort or attempt is determined and serious. Sp. hacer un gran esfuerzo.
E.g.
There has been a concerted campaign against the proposals.
He's making a concerted effort to improve his appearance.
(all/only) too true used to say that you know something is true, when you do not like it. Used for saying that something is true when you wish that it was not.
E.g.
‘It’s not as easy as it looks.’ ‘Too true!’
It is only too true that people are judged by their accents.
Sadly the rumour is all too true.
talk somebody through something to explain to somebody how something works so that they can do it or understand it. Sp. explicarle algo a alguien paso por paso
E.g.
Can you talk me through the various investment options?
see the point in (doing) (something) To understand or appreciate the meaning, reason, or importance of (doing) something.
E.g.
I just don't see the point in another year in high school when I know I can go find work now!
I hope you see the point in all the things your mother and I do for you!
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