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English & TV
Learn with THE WEST WING
In this section, we analyze parts of the TV show script to learn and understand the use of daily English language.
Read the passages and try to understand them. Then, read the vocabulary explanation. Finally, read the passage again.
From the episode 'The Crackpots and these women'
SAM: So, you are from the United States Space Command?
BOB: Not a lot of people know about us.
SAM: This is my first time.
BOB: We're a little nerdy, I'll admit.
SAM: You camouflage it well with your clothing.
BOB: I'm used to that, Sam.
SAM: What can I do for you, Bob?
BOB: In a nutshell?
SAM: So to speak.
BOB: We'd like the White House to pay a little more attention to UFOs.
SAM: Are we paying any attention at all right now?
BOB: No.
BOB: Not a lot of people know about us.
SAM: This is my first time.
BOB: We're a little nerdy, I'll admit.
SAM: You camouflage it well with your clothing.
BOB: I'm used to that, Sam.
SAM: What can I do for you, Bob?
BOB: In a nutshell?
SAM: So to speak.
BOB: We'd like the White House to pay a little more attention to UFOs.
SAM: Are we paying any attention at all right now?
BOB: No.
| nerdy | Nerd es alguien que parece aburrido, poco sociable, interesado por la tecnología o que no está a la moda (pero quizás no lo sea realmente). Nerdy es el adjetivo. |
| to camouflage something | camuflar algo, disimular algo |
| to be used to something | estar acostumbrado a algo |
| in a nutshell | Expresión coloquial que equivale al español "en dos palabras", "en pocas palabras" o "en resumen". Literalmente significa cáscara de nuez. |
| so to speak | por así decirlo |
| to pay attention to something | prestar atención a algo |
| UFO | Sigla de Unidentified Flying Object (objeto volador no identificado). Equivale al español OVNI. |
BOB: I would like you to show the President some data we've collected on some possible extraterrestrial contact.
SAM: I really can't do that.
BOB: May I ask why not?
SAM: Because the President will either yell at me or laugh at me. Either way, it won't work out well for me.
BOB: This morning at 6:35 a.m. local time, air traffic control in Honolulu picked up an unidentified flying object flying east, across the Pacific towards California. Air Force and Naval Jets have been in the area for hours and have been unable to establish visual contact. These things happen and go unexplained. You don't think this is something you should take to the President?
SAM: No.
BOB: Again, may I ask why not?
SAM: Because there are levels and an order to our air defense command, and to jump from a radar officer to a commander-in-chief would skip several of those levels.
SAM: I really can't do that.
BOB: May I ask why not?
SAM: Because the President will either yell at me or laugh at me. Either way, it won't work out well for me.
BOB: This morning at 6:35 a.m. local time, air traffic control in Honolulu picked up an unidentified flying object flying east, across the Pacific towards California. Air Force and Naval Jets have been in the area for hours and have been unable to establish visual contact. These things happen and go unexplained. You don't think this is something you should take to the President?
SAM: No.
BOB: Again, may I ask why not?
SAM: Because there are levels and an order to our air defense command, and to jump from a radar officer to a commander-in-chief would skip several of those levels.
| to collect | recoger, recopilar |
| to yell | gritar. Para aprender otras formas de hablar, ver Ways of speaking. |
| either way | en cualquiera de los dos casos |
| to work out well | resultar, salir bien |
| to pick up | En esta caso, significa captar. Otros significados de to pick up son recoger, levantar o aprender sobre la marcha. |
| defense | defensa. En inglés americano se escribe defense y en inglés británico, defence. |
| to skip | saltear, pasar por alto |
BARTLET: Sam Seaborn had a guy who spotted a UFO today, am I right? Sam laughed him out of his office, but you've been thinking about it ever since. But you can rest assured, Sam. It was not a spaceship from another planet, just another time. A long since
abandoned Soviet satellite, one of its booster rockets didn't fire and it couldn't escape the earth's orbit - a sad reminder of a time when two powerful nations challenged each other and then boldly raced into outer space.
What will be the next thing that challenges us, Toby? That makes us work harder and go farther? You know, when smallpox was eradicated, it was considered the single greatest humanitarian achievement of this century. Surely,
we can do it again.
| to spot something | ver, notar, reconocer algo |
| ever since | desde entonces |
| to rest assured | tener la seguridad de, estar seguro |
| spaceship | nave espacial |
| long since | hace mucho tiempo |
| booster rocket | cohete acelerador |
| to fire | disparar, lanzar |
| reminder | recuerdo, recordatorio. Para aprender más, ver Remember or remind? |
| to challenge somebody | retar, desafiar a alguien |
| boldly | valientemente, audazmente |
| to race | Aquí significa competir |
| outer space | espacio sideral |
| farther | más lejos |
| smallpox | viruela |
| achievement | logro, éxito, hazaña |
The scripts and the images are copyright. They are used here for educational purposes only.