مکالمه انگلیسی بین دو نفر درباره نوجوانان با استعداد

Jim: So Shifani you were saying that you actually worked in radio from an early age. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Shifani: That’s right. Well I worked on the radio at the age of twelve. What basically happened was that I used to call up the radio station quite a lot, answer questions and quizzes and all that sort of stuff and one of the announcers thought my voice was nice and so he wanted me to come and work for him. Without realizing that I was twelve years old, he called me in and had me on.

Jim: So were you a little scared? You were only twelve.

Shifani: It was very daunting at first. So the first couple of days I had no idea what was going on. There was a massive microphone in front of my face and I was told to make this show fun and interesting, so yes it was very daunting.

Jim: Did you have any prep or did they just stick you in front of the mic and have you react?

Shifani: No actually there were no prompts. It was all up to me. I had to come up with stuff on the spot which was quite easy really because the topics were simple. It was mainly about music.

Jim: Like teen stuff?

Shifani: Yes, exactly or anything that people called up and talked about. It was very childish stuff but mainly geared at teenagers.

Jim: How did your parents feel about it?

Shifani: Very proud of me obviously. At the age of twelve, their daughter was a DJ, what could be better than that? So they really enjoyed it. I remember they would listen to it every single time, record it and then listen to it over and over again when they could.

Jim: That’s fantastic. So were you like a little celebrity at your school?

Shifani: I ended up becoming one. A lot of my friends also did the same recording of my voice on the radio, it was a big thing to be a radio person then being only twelve. So my friends thought it was absolutely fantastic and they would take it to school and quite often play it around. So yeah I ended up getting a celebrity status.

Jim: So when you were young and you were this DJ, did you envision yourself being a DJ for a long time?

Shifani: Actually, no I hadn’t. I really enjoyed it, had a lot of fun but it was a hobby. It was never something I wanted to do as a profession.

Jim: So in the future you had a child and they wanted to do this, would you encourage them to do it?

Shifani: I absolutely would because if they enjoy it and they enjoy it so much that they want to take it up as a career why not? With me it was a hobby.

Jim: Now what about podcasts? Would you encourage young people to maybe have their own podcast?

Shifani: I think that’s a fantastic idea. I think it’s really good to be able to express yourself and through podcasts they can do exactly that.

Answer the following questions about the conversation.

1) How did Shifani get a job on the radio?

1. a) She was only twelve years old.
2. b) She had a nice voice.
3. c) She liked good music.
4. d) She answered questions and quizzes.

2) How did she feel when she first started?

1. a) A little nervous.
2. b) Confused.
3. c) Excited.
4. d) Comfortable.

3) How did Shafani’s parents feel about her job on the radio?

1. a) They thought she was too young.
2. b) They were happy.
3. c) They recorded all her shows.
4. d) They told her what music to choose.

4) What happened to her at school?

1. a) Everyone was jealous.
2. b) Lots of people wanted to be her friend.
3. c) Other kids played the recordings.
4. d) She was famous.

5) What does Shifani think about working for a radio or making podcasts?

1. a) It is a waste of time.
2. b) You should only do it if you’re really good.
3. c) It is good for a hobby, but not a career
4. d) It is a good way to express yourself.

Answers

• 1=b,d
• 2=a,b
• 3=b,c
• 4=c,d
• 5=d

daunting

It was very daunting at first.

Something that is daunting seems very difficult.  Notice the following:

1. It was a daunting task.
2. The amount of homework he assigned was daunting.

stick

Did they just stick you in front of the mic and have you react?

In this context, ‘stick’ has the same meaning as ‘put’.  Notice the following:

1. Stick it in your bag and read it later.
2. Put it in your bag and read it later.

(be) up to

It was all up to me.

Something that is up to us, is our decision.  Notice the following:

1. How much time I spend is up to me.
2. The decision is not up to me.

come up with

I had to come up with stuff.

When we come up with something, that means we think of a new idea.  Notice the following:

1. We had to quickly come up with a new plan.
2. Have you come up with anything yet?

on the spot

I had to think of stuff on the spot.

To think of something on the spot means to think quickly or instantly.  Notice the following:

1. He had to answer difficult questions on the spot.
2.  The TV reporters put him on the spot.

• daunting
• stick
• up to
• come up
• on the spot

1. I admire how she was able to……….  with such a witty remark.
2. If it was ………….. me, I wouldn’t let her go.
3. They just………….  the paper in front of you and have you read it.
4. He felt overwhelmed by such a ………. task.
5. She had to answer all the reporter’s questions………….  .