Hello and welcome to the English Like A Native podcast.
My name is Anna and you're listening to week 43, day four of Your English Five A Day, the second season.
Here we are again, getting together every day of the working week so that we can, together climb this fluency mountain, improve our, your listening skills, your vocabulary, and bolster your English confidence.
I am your fluency guide.
I'm here to tickle your eardrums with my very real non-AI voice.
And I do hope that you'll enjoy your time with me.
So let's begin today's episode as we always do with a snapshot of what's to come.
Ravi squinted at the muddy pond, trying to spot the small amphibian that, according to his science book, lived there.
By law, he wasn't supposed to collect wild creatures, so he settled for watching instead.
From that quiet distance, his perspective began to change.
Some things were better admired than owned.
Okie dokie.
Let's dive into the vocabulary then, starting with the verb squint, squint.
We spell this S-Q-U-I-N-T, squint, squint.
To squint is to look at something, but with your eyes partly closed in order to see it better.
Somebody who really struggles with their eyesight if you take off their glasses.
I mean that would probably be a little bit cruel to remove somebody's glasses if they need them to see.
But that person will then be squinting at things.
I often do it now because I need glasses to read.
If I'm looking at something where there's very small text, I have to squint in order to see clearly.
And I'll be moving the item around closer and then further away and then closer again, trying to find the right point at which I can focus on the fonts and actually read them.
So I'm squinting, my eyes are slightly squeezed together, trying really hard to see.
Do you squint when you read?
Here's an example sentence.
She was squinting at her computer screen, trying to read the tiny text.
Next, we have the noun perspective.
Perspective.
I do like this word.
We spell it P-E-R-S-P-E-C-T-I-V-E.
Perspective.
Perspective.
Perspective is the way you think about something.
It's your view of something.
For example, if you work in a school and there's a child in your class who is a little bit challenging, their behaviour is challenging.
They don't conform.
They don't follow the rules and do as they're told first time.
They can be a little disruptive.
Your perspective might be, this is a challenging child.
This is a difficult child and you might find it difficult.
Another teacher might have a different perspective and might think This is a spirited child, someone I enjoy working with because I feel like I can really guide and help them.
I enjoy the energy that they bring.
I just need to find a way to funnel it so it doesn't disturb the rest of the class.
So one person's perspective is the child is challenging.
Another person's perspective is that the child is spirited.
Can you think of a situation where you and a friend or family member have very different perspectives about things?
Here's another example.
Being unemployed has made me see things from a different perspective.
OK, next we have the phrase by law.
By law.
By law.
If you have to do something by law, then it's illegal not to do it.
For example, if you are renting out your house in a certain area, the local council may require you to apply for a special licence.
And it's not a choice.
It's a licence that you must have by law.
If you want to drive in the UK...
And in many countries as well, I'm sure.
But if you want to drive in the UK, then you must, by law, have a valid driver's license.
Here's one more example.
By law, all drivers must wear seatbelts.
Ah, yes.
Clunk, click, every trip, put on your seatbelt.
All right.
Next, we have the phrase according to. according to.
According, A-C-C-O-R-D-I-N-G, to, T-O, according to.
According to means as said by someone or shown by something.
So, for example, I might say, according to my doctor, it's beneficial to take magnesium every day.
Or, according to the lady on the television, we should all hug for six seconds at least once a day to make us feel happier.
Here's another example.
According to the forecast, it's going to rain all weekend.
Oh no!
Last, we have the noun amphibian.
Amphibian.
We spell this A-M-P-H-I-B-I-A-N.
Amphibian, amphibian.
An amphibian is an animal, such as a frog, that can live both on land and in water.
An amphibian.
Here's an example sentence.
The biology students studied how amphibians adapt to life in different environments.
Alright, that's our five, so let's do a quick recap.
We started with the verb squint, which is to look at something with your eyes partly closed in order to see it better.
You squint.
Then we had the noun perspective, which is the way you think about something.
Your perspective.
We had the phrase by law, which tells us that it's illegal not to do.
Whatever it is, you must do by law.
Then we have the phrase according to.
According to meaning as said by someone or shown by something.
According to.
And finally, the noun amphibian, which is an animal such as a frog or a newt that can live both on land and in water.
An amphibian.
Fabulous.
Now I'd like you to raise your voice and repeat out loud after me.
Squint Squint Perspective Perspective By law By law According to According to Amphibian.
Amphibian.
Wonderful.
Listen to our snapshot once again.
Ravi squinted at the muddy pond, trying to spot the small amphibian that, according to his science book, lived there.
By law, he wasn't supposed to collect wild creatures, so he settled for watching instead.
From that distance, his perspective began to change.
Some things were better admired than owned.
Alright, now I'd like you to listen out for our target vocabulary once more as we head into story time.
I squint at the small creature on the metal tray in front of me.
The laboratory lights are too bright, making my eyes water.
This amphibian, a common marsh frog, looks peaceful, as if it's sleeping.
But I know better.
It died two days ago.
And now it's here for science.
My hands shake slightly as I pick up the scalpel.
I've done this hundreds of times before, but today feels different.
Today I'm thinking too much.
According to my research notes, this frog was three years old.
It lived in the pond behind the university building.
Students walked past it every day, never knowing it was there.
Now, those same students need to learn about anatomy.
And I have to provide them with specimens to study.
That's my job.
That's what I signed up for.
I make the first cut, careful and precise.
The skin is smooth and cool.
My mind wanders as my hand works automatically.
Why did I become a scientist?
I remember being seven years old, catching frogs in my grandmother's garden.
I would watch them for hours, fascinated by how they could jump so far, how they could swim and walk and climb.
I loved them.
I wanted to take them home and keep them as pets.
But my grandmother explained that by law, I wasn't allowed to capture wild animals.
My perspective has changed so much since then.
Back then, frogs were magical creatures.
Now, they're research subjects, data points, teaching tools.
Is that progress?
I'm not sure anymore.
The dissection continues.
I examine the heart, the liver, the long intestines coiled inside the tiny body.
Everything is so perfectly designed.
This animal could breathe underwater and on land.
It could catch flies with its tongue in a fraction of a second.
It survived predators, weather and pollution for three whole years.
And now...
It's on my dissection tray.
I squint again, this time not because of the light, but because I'm trying not to cry.
That's ridiculous, I tell myself.
You're a professional.
You're contributing to science, to education.
This frog's death has meaning.
But does it?
According to the latest studies, Frog populations are declining worldwide.
Climate change, habitat loss, disease.
They're all taking their toll.
Maybe I should be out there in the field trying to save them, instead of cutting them open in a laboratory.
I finish the dissection and clean my instruments.
Tomorrow...
Twenty students will gather around this frog and learn about the biology of amphibians.
They'll take notes.
They'll pass their exams.
Some of them might even become scientists themselves.
Maybe one of them will save the frogs I couldn't.
I turn off the bright lights and leave the laboratory.
Outside, it's raining.
Somewhere out there, frogs are singing in the darkness.
I stop and listen just for a moment, trying to remember why I fell in love with them in the first place.
Tomorrow I'll be back in the lab, but tonight I'm just someone who misses catching frogs in a garden.
And that brings us to the end of today's episode.
I do hope you found it useful and entertaining.
And if you did... then please take a second to leave a like or a rating or a view.
Until tomorrow, I will bring everything together in one big story.
Take very good care of yourself and goodbye.
