Perfect25 English Podcast

A: Oh~ are you learning English with Steve Jobs’ quotes? I love his speeches.

B: Yea, I find many of them impressive.

A: Which one’s your favorite?

B: “What I can bring is only the memories precipitated by love.” Obviously, family and friends are more important than money.

A: Wait, You saw that phrase on Facebook, didn’t you? It was controversial whether or not he said that phrase, but it turned out he didn’t.

B: That was false information again? What can I trust online?

A: You can share information easily through social media, but you should also be aware that information can be inaccurate.

B: You’re right. Social media does not always carry verified information. I should think twice before sharing something online.

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A: Gujeong is just around the corner!

B: Don’t use that term! Terms like Gujeong and Sinjeong are traces of Japanese Colonialism.

A: That’s a common misconception that those words came from Japanese Colonialism. That’s totally groundless.

B: I didn’t know that. Anyways, Seollal sounds the best.

A: I agree. By the way, my mom’s gonna be nervous again.

B: Is it still the women’s responsibility in your family to do all of the chores during Seollal holidays? That’s so outdated!

A: Fortunately, it’s been changing, but I guess my mom is still not satisfied. She even said she wants to live on Jupiter.

B: Huh? What is she talking about?

A: She said it takes 12 years for Jupiter to revolve around the Sun.

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A: Did you see Manager Kim today? He looks different!

B: Yea! He got his eyebrows tattooed.

A: Wow, Isn't that like semi-permanent makeup? I never imagined he would be interested in that.

B: I heard he also gets facial treatments at a skin clinic.

A: Isn’t he in his 50s?

B: Yea, he is. Didn’t you know it’s a trend? Many middle-aged men are trying to look younger and more attractive these days.

A: I didn't know that. But for what?

B: Well, I guess the main purpose is to raise their self-esteem.

A: Oh, that's pretty cool! It's always a good idea to love yourself.

B: Right. I should try something new this year, too.

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A: Hey, I went to this newly-opened Italian restaurant downtown, and their pizza was amazing. You should go try it!

B: Oh yeah? Who did you go with?

A: By myself..? Why?

B: How can you do that? I can never eat alone at restaurants.

A: Hmm. That’s because you don’t know the joy of solo dining yet.

B: I understand you sometimes need your own time, but I still prefer eating with others. You can’t eat alone at certain types of restaurants.

A: Why not? I’ve solo-dined at every possible place from convenience stores to barbeque restaurants.

B: That’s admirable. What about bars for social gatherings?

A: I’m actually going to an izakaya tonight. It’s the highest level according to the lone diner guide.

B: Wow, you deserve the title of “solo dining expert”.

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A: Hey, you look totally exhausted. You’ve got dark circles, too! Did you work late last night?

B: Are you kidding? Not just last night. I’ve been working late every single day for 2 months.

A: Bummer! Do you have any free time?

B: Not at all. I don’t even have time to see my family.

A: Sorry to hear that. There are many people who are in the same boat.

B: To be positive, though, I’m lucky to have work to do. It’s really depressing to see college graduates these days.

A: I agree. I heard Koreans work the second-longest hours among OECD countries. But ironically, the employment rate is really low. What non-sense!

B: That means only a small minority are raking in money.

A: Are there people who still expect a trickle-down effect?

B: After being fooled for decades? No way!

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A: Hey, have you ever heard of So-gil-daek before?

B: Isn’t that the nickname of superstar Lee Hyo-li, who lives on Jeju island? Why are you asking?

A: Well, Lee Hyo-li used to live in So-gil Li on Jeju Island, but she moved to a different town because too many tourists were visiting her place. She probably couldn’t stand it.

B: Oh really? I guess that’s what happens to celebrities

A: But I think it isn’t a bad idea to go to Jeju for ordinary people who are seeking peace and quiet.

B: True, but I think Jeju island isn’t the right place to live anymore if you dream of a peaceful country life.

A: You’re right. I heard some people are coming back to their original homes after finding out what Jeju actually looks like these days.

B: You can see a lot of pictures of beautiful nature on Jeju Island being damaged by the large number of tourists.

A: The problem is not that tourists are visiting Jeju, but that the government is not managing it properly.

B: I hope public officials who focus on civil engineering business and profits can focus more on the public good.

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A: I heard you went to Sok-cho last weekend. So, did you catch any pokemon?

B: What pokemon? Is that still a fad?

A: Hey, I will be so excited to catch even one pokemon since I've never seen one before.

B: It’s called Augmented Reality. It has a huge potential to develop.

A: Augmented Reality? What’s that? Is it like Virtual Reality?

B: Virtual Reality shows a digitally-created world like in online games, whereas Augmented Reality shows a supplemented environment over the real world through smartphones or other glasses such as Google’s.

A: Ah.. Are you talking about something similar to the people in some sci-fi movies who wear glasses to see other people’s private information or location? Sounds awesome!

B: Not necessarily. You should be concerned that the streets could be full of junk ads once everyone wears those glasses.

A: Yeah.. Like most websites are covered with ads these days.

B: Augmented Reality in our everyday lives will happen in the not-too-distant future.

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A: I am so hooked on the song “Stairway to Heaven”

B: Isn’t that a classic from back in the day by Led Zeppelin?

A: Ooooh~ You even know the songs that were released in 1971. You really have a great taste in music.

B: Actually I don’t know Led Zeppelin, but I know the song is well-known.

A: Back in the 70’s the group was going on a tour in Asia and almost had the chance to perform in Korea!

B: Really? Wow! That could have been a blast! How come it got cancelled, though?

A: Back in those days, the Korean government even had their hands on people’s hair. Led Zepplin couldn’t perform in Korea due to the group members’ long hair.

B: That’s messed up. I guess we have it pretty easy.

A: Hmm… You think so? True, now the government doesn’t care about our hair but without us knowing, they can easily get access to our cell phone.

B: That’s right! I totally forgot they are related. I guess, it runs in the family.

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A: These days, there are so many poorly written articles. I really hate that!

B: I know! Another way to say that is junk articles.

A: Many articles are repetitive with slightly different titles. You can tell some reporters can’t think for themselves.

B: I wonder if they are even qualified for their job.

A: Do you remember the press conference with President Obama back in 2010?

B: It boggled my mind that no one stood up to throw any question at President Obama when they had a chance.

A: There were about five hundred local and foreign reporters, but not even one Korean reporter was able to come up with a question for President Obama.

B: Are they only good at committing  plagiarism?

A: Maybe they are not competent enough to ask questions.

B: I still blush in shame thinking about them.

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A: Hey, have you ever watched Trump vs. O’Donnell on Youtube before?

B: Oh yes, the trash talk between them

A: Rosie O’Donnell is known for her bad mouth.

B: Yes! But that’s part of her job. However, can you believe Donald Trump?

A: Now, the whole country knows his limited words.

B: Trump even said, Rosie O'Donnell's disgusting, both inside and out. You take a look at her, she's a slob, she talks like a truck driver.

A: Well, Rosie O’Donnell didn’t talk like a girl scout herself. Nevertheless, someone who is running for the next president of the United States mustn’t talk like that.

B: He even mentioned that the USA should get rid of all immigrants.

A: That doesn’t make any sense since the USA is built by them.

B: If he becomes a new president, I think the whole country will be on red alert.

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