📙 Part 2: Describe a person you only met once and want to know more about

This episode's vocabulary

Cosmopolitan (adj.) - containing or having experience of people and things from many different parts of the world.

Prestigious (adj.) - very much respected and admired, usually because of being important.

To pique (verb) - to excite or cause interest.

Extraordinarily (adj.) - very; more than usual.

Well traveled - (of a person) having been to many different places, especially to many different countries.

Numerous (adj.) - many.

To draw (verb) - to attract attention or interest.

Engaging (adj.) - pleasant, attractive, and charming.

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Questions and Answers

M: Rory, are you already ready?

R: Yes.

M: All right.

R: I was struggling to think about who to talk about there. But then I remembered that I watched one of his lectures the other day. And it reminded me. The person that I'm thinking about is called Vladimir Posner. He's a famous independent Russian journalist. Although, to be honest, that doesn't exactly paint the full picture since he has both French and American roots as well. And I think pretty much all of these countries and cultures lay claim to him. So it's all very cosmopolitan, actually. We bumped into each other at this event run by the British Council at a university in Moscow. Actually, I forget which one, but it was definitely not the High School of Economics. Regardless, it was quite a prestigious establishment, given the nature of the event and the surroundings as well were actually quite fancy. My job was to do a sort of vocabulary input for the dictation that he was doing. And at the time, I didn't actually realize who I was speaking to. But after I was done with my presentation, which was broadcast on live television, something else I wasn't prepared for, I got a call from one of my managers asking what it was like to meet someone who's so well known. Obviously, that was quite ironic, because I'd never, well, I'd never have known who he was, if she hadn't told me. I got a few other calls like that too later that day and further on, and it sort of piqued my interest in finding out more about him. And I discovered after a quick search online, that he is extraordinarily well known and equally well traveled. He's interviewed people like Hillary Clinton and other politicians and celebrities. He speaks at least three languages very well, and has delivered numerous presentations on a range of topics, most recently about the present situation in Russia and its relationship with the West. Many of his ideas are quite similar to mine. So that alone would be enough to draw me in. However, he also has a great presentation style, which is quite engaging, and I plan to watch even more of his work in the coming months. I'm really interested to learn about what he has, well, what he thinks and what he has to say, and maybe steal or become inspired by some of his ideas for my own presentations.

M: Have some of your friends met this person?

R: No, no one else I know has. Have you?

M: No, only on TV. We met on TV. When he was on TV, I was at home.

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