ESL Podcast 843 - Passing Through Airport Security
security - the process of checking travelers and their bags for dangerous objects
Why did you wear so much metal jewelry if you knew you'd have to go through security?
hassle - a pain; something that is unpleasant and inconvenient
Shopping around for the best price on a new computer can be a hassle, but it's worth it if you can save a few hundred dollars.
to be strip-searched - to be asked to take off some or all of one's clothes while someone with authority looks for drugs, weapons, or other objects that one might be hiding
What percentage of criminals are strip-searched by the police when they are arrested?
screening - the process of looking over something, usually while searching for something that should not be included
The doctors are screening young children for exposure to lead.
bin - a large bucket or container that is open on the top, especially with a square or rectangular shape
Please put the dirty towels in this bin.
scanner - a machine or device that searches for something, especially by using a video camera
The scanner beeps each time the cashier passes a product's UPC code over it.
liquid - something that is wet and spreads out to fill a container; not a solid or a gas
If we don't get these containers of ice cream in a freezer soon, all we'll have are containers of liquid.
aerosol - a liquid that is "dispensed" (delivered) in a very fine spray by pressing a button on the top of a pressurized container
Do you prefer aerosol hairspray or hairspray in a pump bottle?
gel - a thick, wet liquid
Do you use gel or mousse on your hair?
zip-top bag - a clear plastic bag that has a piece on top that moves in one direction to close the bag and in another direction to open the bag
Please put the leftover soup in a zip-top bag and then put it in the freezer so we can eat it another day.
body scan - an image of a person's entire body taken by a machine that can "see" through one's clothing, used to look for hidden objects
The body scan showed that the woman was holding a small bottle between her arm and her side.
to bombard - to attack; to do something repeatedly for a long time
The reporters were bombarding the company's director with tough questions.
ray - x-ray; a signal that cannot be seen, heard, or felt, but that can be used to view an object or manipulate or change it in some way
Make sure your sunscreen protects against UVA and UVB rays.
metal detector - a large machine that beeps if a piece of metal passes through it
After the high school shooting last year, the school installed metal detectors in all the entrances to try to prevent anyone else from bringing a gun to school.
hijacker - a person who uses or "threatens" (warns that something will happen) violence to take control of a vehicle and frighten other people in order to try to get what he or she wants
Nobody on the train was prepared for a hijacker.
terrorist - a person who uses violence to frighten other people in order to try to get what he or she wants
The terrorists are blowing up apartment buildings without warning.
TSA - Transportation Security Administration; the part of the U.S government that protects the country's transportation systems so that people and "goods" (products) can move throughout the country
Is the TSA doing enough to protect buses and trains?
a lamb to the slaughter - a phrase used to describe someone who is calmly and obediently doing something that will end in trouble, pain, or death, because he or she does not realize what is happening
Those new interns don't have any idea how hard they're going to have to work this year. They're like lambs to the slaughter.