ESL Podcast 307 - Cable and Satellite TV
cable TV - cable television; television services that are delivered through long wires that are underground or high in the air
With cable TV you can see hundreds of channels from all around the world.
satellite TV - satellite television; television services that are delivered by sending signals from electronic devices in space (not on Earth)
We live far away from the city, and satellite TV is the only kind of TV that we can watch at our house.
satellite dish - a large, round piece of equipment that is placed outside on a roof or behind a house to receive TV signals from satellites in space
Aaron became angry when his neighbor put up a large satellite dish that blocked his view of the mountains.
to install - to put equipment or a service into place so that it can be used
How long did it take the workers to install Internet service in your house?
basic channels - television stations that are included with the lowest cost of cable or satellite TV
Maude just likes to watch the news, so she's happy having the basic channels and not paying for extra channels each month.
premium channels - television stations that are not included with the basic cost of cable or satellite TV and which one must pay extra to have
Some of our favorite premium channels are movie channels and sports channels.
package - a group of things that are sold together for a single price
This travel package includes your plane ticket, hotel room, and meals for one week.
monthly fee - an amount of money that is paid every month for a service
How much is the monthly fee for being a member of that gym?
excluding - without; not including
The one-week trip to Hawaii costs $1,200, excluding airfare, which is an additional $875.
deposit - an amount of money that one pays to use something, where the money is returned if the thing is given back to the company in good condition; a percentage of the money that is owed which a customer pays in advance, with the rest being paid when the service is completed or the product is delivered
When you go skiing here, you pay a $100 deposit for rental skis, but if you return them without any damage, you get your money back.
outright - completely; totally; all at once; in full
Did you buy your car outright, or are you making monthly payments?
pay-per-view - a single scheduled movie, sports game, and other TV show that one pays to be able to watch
Many people watch World Cup soccer games as pay-per-view programs.
video on demand - a single program that one can ask to see on one's TV at any time
Sometimes my schedule is too busy and I can't see my favorite shows, but with video on demand, that isn't a problem.
as (one) goes along - as one proceeds with something; over time; as one continues with something
Right now Makiko has a basic gym membership, but as she goes along and starts exercising more, she might get a more expensive gym membership so that she can take the dance classes.
round-the-clock - all the time; all day and night; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
The panel of experts said that doctors should not be allowed to work round-the- clock because they can't make good decisions if they haven't slept enough.
to drop by - to visit someone unexpectedly for a short time; to go to someone's house without calling ahead of time to let him or her know that one is coming
It annoys me that Tom often drops by without calling first.