Bears and Beasts
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Asako | Todd |
Asako: Oh, yeah. Camping almost every single weekend. That's a joke, but... Yeah, many times. I camped and of course people enjoy hiking, rock climbing. If you're not really an outdoor type, you can enjoy barbecuing, but yeah, some people do enjoy outdoor.
Todd: Well, you know, Alaska is really famous for bears, so when you would go hiking or camping would ever see any bears?
Asako: Of course.
Todd: Seriously?
Asako: Yeah. Of course. Wolves. Bears. You can name it.
Todd: Bears. Wolves.
Asako: Yeah.
Todd: And people still go out there?
Asako: Of course.
Todd: Yeah, but aren't you afraid of the bears?
Asako: Well, you have to know what you are supposed to do, but yeah.
Todd: Well, what do you do?
Asako: Well, you have to be careful about what you would do with your food. You know. You don't put your leftovers anywhere you like. You have to be really careful with that, and also you have to know how you are supposed to act when you actually meet a bear when you are hiking, but if you have the right knowledge, you should be OK. Of course, still there are accidents but you should be OK.
Todd: Wow! So what do you they tell you to do if you see a bear?
Asako: Well, you're supposed to wave your hands.
Todd: Wave your hands. Up high?
Asako: Up high.
Todd: So you seem taller?
Asako: You seem taller and also bears have never seen animals doing stuff like that, so they get scared and leave. That's usually but when bears are really hungry, then you still, yeah, so there are bears that are really hungry and maybe look crazy, so you're still taking a chance, but.
Todd: Well, what about a wolf? Or wolves? Do you do the same thing for wolves?
Asako: Well, actually, the only wolves I've seen was in the Denaly Park. I was in a car, so i didn't have any problems, so I really don't know what I am supposed to do when I meet wolves.
Todd: Now for the local people, what do they consider more dangerous, a wolf or a bear?
Asako: You don't see many wolves, but you do see a lot of bears so maybe bears.
Todd: Oh, yeah. Well, they both sound scary to me.
That's a joke
That's a joke, but... Yeah.
We say 'that's a joke' when we are kidding or not serious about something: Notice the following:
- I drink two liters of coke a day. That's a joke, but I do love it.
- That lazy boy is gonna' die in front of the TV! That's a joke, of course.
an outdoor type
If you're not an outdoor type, you can enjoy barbecuing.
An 'outdoor type' is a person who likes to do activities outside such as camping or hiking. Notice the following:
- I'm not an outdoor type.
- We're an outdoor type of family.
You can name it
Wolves. Bears. You can name it.
The phrase 'you can name it' is similar in meaning to 'everything'. In common usage we often drop the word 'can'. Notice the following:
- We have Coke, Pepsi, 7up, Fanta, you name it.
- We have Coke, Pepsi, 7up, Fanta, everything.
leftovers
You don't put leftovers anywhere.
When we have more food than we can finish and we want to save it, we call that extra food 'leftovers'. Notice the following:
- Put the leftovers in the fridge, please.
- We had a lot of leftovers tonight.
taking a chance
You're taking a chance.
When we 'take a chance,' that means we don't know what the result of our actions or decisions will be. Notice the following:
- Taking a chance is the only way to go forward in life.
- He's going to take a chance on the new software.
Vocabulary Quiz
leftovers • take a chance
