📘 Part 3: Quiet Places and Noise

This episode's vocabulary

Handy (adj) – convenient to handle or use. → Example: The countryside isn't that far off, which is pretty handy.

Ramp up (phrasal verb) – to increase the level or amount of something sharply. → Example: It's easy to see how the noise might ramp up, especially in the cities.

Go off (phrasal verb) – (of a phone or alarm) to ring or make a noise. → Example: There are more things in the homes to make noise, like phones going off.

Make a racket (idiom) – to make a lot of loud, unpleasant noise. → Example: You might hear dogs and cats making a racket.

Get sick and tired of (idiom) – to become very annoyed with someone or something. → Example: I imagine they get sick and tired of all the ruckus and just want to get away from it all.

Ruckus (n) – a noisy situation or argument. → Example: If you live with other people, you might get tired of all the ruckus.

Get away from it all (idiom) – to go somewhere to relax, away from worries and responsibilities. → Example: Older people usually want to get away from it all.

Entitled to (adj) – believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. → Example: You might feel entitled to a little peace and quiet yourself.

Peace and quiet (idiom) – a state of calm and quiet. → Example: If you spent decades in noisy surroundings, you might feel entitled to a little peace and quiet.

Pensioner (n) – a person who receives a pension, especially one from the state. → Example: If you're a pensioner or have retired, then it's easier to find the time and money to do what you want.

Games console (n) – an electronic device used for playing video games. → Example: There are things to do digitally or online, like with games consoles and computers.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Is it easy to find quiet places in your country?

Rory: I think so. There are only five million people in the whole country, and we have a lot of open green space and forests for people to go to. Even in larger cities, on nicer days, the countryside isn't that far off, which is pretty handy. And of course, if you don't have access to transport, there are many, well, so many libraries and churches and the like, you wouldn't struggle to find a place like that to be quiet, or to have some quiet time.

Maria: Why are there more noises made at home now than in the past?

Rory: Well, there are more people nowadays and more people in the homes, so that might be why. I think I read somewhere that the materials for building them are lighter. So if the walls are thinner, because the material is lighter, it's easy to see how that might, well, how the noise might ramp up, especially in the cities. And of course, there are more things in the homes to make noise, like phones going off or dogs and cats making a racket.

Maria: Why do old people prefer to live in quiet places?

Rory: I imagine they get sick and tired of all the ruckus and just want to get away from it all, which makes sense, I suppose. If you spent decades in noisy surroundings, working hard for a living, then you might feel entitled to a little peace and quiet yourself.

Maria: Do you think only old people have time for leisure?

Rory: Oh, absolutely not. There are loads of options out there for everybody. Obviously, if you're a pensioner or have retired, then it's easier to find the time and money to do what you want most of the time, but young people still have things like weekends and various spaces to have fun.

Maria: How does technology affect the way people spend their leisure time?

Rory: I think it gives them more options. The most obvious set would be things to do digitally or online, like with games consoles and computers, but you can also think about the ways that tech has allowed people with disabilities to access things they never could before. And it's allowed us to make new materials for things like hang gliders and bungee cords. So that's pretty cool.

Maria: How do people spend their leisure time in your country?

Rory: That's a good question. I don't really know much about it. But I think it's similar to what people enjoy elsewhere. Things like reading, playing games, going online and interacting through social media. A lot of people still go and see their friends and family, though that's mostly at home these days because, well, going out is quite expensive.

Discussion

Maria: So, quiet places. Rory lives in Scotland. So there are like about five million people in the whole country.

Rory: That's how many people live in Maria's apartment block.

Maria: Yeah, pretty much. Maybe like two apartment blocks. So you see, that's why Rory has a lot of open green spaces, forests, and a lot of quiet places. And in large cities, or in larger cities, there are a lot of quiet places. A lot of countryside. So the countryside isn't that far. It's not far away from the city. So it's pretty handy. It's convenient. Just you can go to the country anytime you want. I can't go to the country anytime I want because it takes ages. It's easier to fly to a different country. Sometimes. And there are many libraries, churches. Oh yeah, church is a quiet place.

Rory: Well, hopefully.

Maria: Yeah. Yeah, dear listener, you can talk about a church in speaking part two about a quiet place. Or dear listener, you can say that, no, I live in a large city, so it's noisy. There are lots of noises, we have noise pollution, planes are in the sky, there are many cars. So lots of noises from everywhere. These days, there are more noises which are made at home.

Rory: Well, maybe. The question's a bit loaded, isn't it? I mean, maybe it's not true.

Maria: Yeah, but again, the examiner might just assume that, yeah, it is true and just why? Or maybe they will ask you, do you agree that now we have more noises which are made at home? So, which people make at home? Like more noises made at home than in the past. Well, you can agree, disagree. But here, like why? What are the reasons? Because there are more people.

Rory: More people equals more noise, probably.

Maria: And this is Rory's favorite answer. Any question, like, why are there more something? Because there are more people. Why is it, I don't know, this or that? There are more people. Why is there a lot more rubbish these days? Because there are more people. Why are there more people? Because there are more people.

Rory: Well, why are there more people? Do I need to draw you a diagram of why there are more people?

Maria: Yes, exactly. Why are there more buildings? Because there are more people. You see, it just works fine with such questions. And more people are in houses, and they create more noise, right? So, yeah, obviously. And also the materials for building houses are lighter. So the walls are thinner today. So topic-specific vocabulary, dear listener, write it down. Today, walls in the houses are thinner. So a thin wall, like very, small wall, so you can hear anything and everything. So somebody goes to the toilet, you can hear it very well. Yeah, that's stressful.

Rory: Oh my God. Can we, why are we talking about this?

Maria: No, because walls are thinner today. It's about noise.

Rory: Yes, yes, yes. I think you just wanted to talk about the toilet. Mhm.

Maria: Dear listener, if you want a toilet episode, please write to Rory on Instagram. We want a toilet episode. Yes, like different traditions, habits.

Rory: I'm not going to give that airtime.

Maria: So the walls are thinner, and the materials for building are lighter. So the noise might ramp up.

Rory: Increase. Yeah. Although I should point out, do not use the word ramp up for your, for your essays or your formal writing tasks. It's very much an informal word for increase.

Maria: It's a phrasal verb, ramp up. Increase the speed, power, or cost of something. So ramp up pressure. Mitsubishi has ramped up the speed of their cars. Prices are gonna ramp up. And the noise might ramp up, especially in cities. And there are more things in the homes to make noise, like phones going off. Our phones go off. Smartphones. Dogs bark. Cats make a racket. When a cat makes a racket, it just goes all over the place. Yeah, to make a racket, to make like unpleasant, loud, continuous noise. So it's negative, dear listener, it's C2. Yay. To make a racket. It's C2 Band nine. Actually, I'm gonna just collect just C2 words now.

Rory: From me?

Maria: Yeah, from you. Yeah, and we're gonna have like a Rory's C2 words list. Right, dear listener, so, examples of noise, cats making a racket, dogs bark, and all electronic appliances, dear listener. We have fridges, microwaves, washing machines, so they also make a lot of noise. Older people usually prefer quiet places. So they get sick and tired.

Rory: It's a binomial. We don't say tired and sick, we say sick and tired.

Maria: Yeah. To get sick and tired. I'm sick and tired of this IELTS. No, no, we continue. IELTS is our favorite. Rory, what, what word have you used about the noise? You did say the noise, but you said something else.

Rory: Oh, all the ruckus.

Maria: Yes, what's that?

Rory: It's just another word for noise and loud things, like a riot.

Maria: So we have to make a racket, to make unpleasant, loud noise. And also we have now ruckus. Ruckus. Mainly US informal. Oh, that's why I don't use it. Rory, are you getting American? What's going on? You're Scottish.

Rory: No, I've always said this. We just haven't really talked about quiet and noise in a long time.

Maria: So a noisy situation or argument. Ruckus. Could you give us another sentence with this ruckus?

Rory: Oh, okay. If you live with other people, you might get tired of all the ruckus because they're loud and because they're terrible people. No, because they're noisy and have different schedules.

Maria: And Rory, could you give us a sentence with make a racket and ruckus? The two words should be in one sentence.

Rory: Well, you don't, you either have one or the other, don't you? It would be like, I don't like it when people make a racket. Whenever there's a ruckus, I try and avoid it. There we go.

Maria: So, older people usually want to get away from it all. So they want to get away from all the noise in large cities, because they're sick and tired of the noise or of all the ruckus. They don't like noisy surroundings. They want peace and quiet. They want a little peace and quiet. Yes. Or maybe they're just too sick, they're too ill to just be around all the noise. Other questions, dear listener, could be about leisure time. Leisure, like our free time, how we spend our free time. How is it connected to quiet places? Well, because usually people rest in quiet places.

Rory: It'd be very unusual to rest in a loud place.

Maria: Yeah, but some people might take a rest in a noisy place.

Rory: Where? Who?

Maria: I don't know, maybe people go to clubs and that's pretty noisy and they kind of.

Rory: Oh, well, we are far too old for that.

Maria: Oh. Yeah, yeah, we are all, yeah, we enjoy, just sleep, eat healthy food, meditate, do yoga, so, yeah, we are just.

Rory: Sensible.

Maria: We've done all the clubbing and tequilas and margaritas.

Rory: We really have. And now there is no cause for there to be any more. Look at us inspiring the young people with our thoroughly boring lives.

Maria: I stopped drinking alcohol, just because I don't want to.

Rory: Completely?

Maria: Yeah, cause I don't want to.

Rory: Oh, wow, okay.

Maria: Seriously, just I don't like the taste anymore. Just my body has changed. I don't like, just I simply don't want to. I prefer tea, water. Delicious fresh water. Oh, yeah, you see? Yeah, but dear listener, just give it time.

Rory: Give it time and you too will be...

Maria: Yeah, you'll, you'll, you'll be, you'll be with us. Yeah, but Rory still drinks, so he's normal.

Rory: Oh, no, I hardly ever drink at all these days.

Maria: Ah, okay. When was the last time you drank?

Rory: Well, New Year, but that was two months ago.

Maria: Oh, okay, New Year. Yeah, I also had some alcohol for New Year.

Rory: Yeah, that's a, that doesn't count.

Maria: Yeah, it doesn't count, yeah. Older people or pensioners.

Rory: No, pensioners, not pensioners.

Maria: C1, actually.

Rory: Oh, is it?

Maria: Yeah, C1. So, band eight, 8.5, there we go. Or the elderly. So people who don't work and the government pays them. People who have retired. So if a person is a pensioner or has retired, so my grandfather has retired, he is a pensioner. So older people have their weekends and all the time in the world, but young people still have their weekends too, right? Or their holiday, holiday periods.

Rory: Yeah, everybody gets a weekend, kind of.

Maria: You work and then you have one month holiday. So here we use the word holiday as, a paid holiday, for example. We use different technology. For example, game consoles, computers, like Sony PlayStation is a game console. You can say technology or tech. Like technology has allowed people to, I don't know, meet each other online, yeah, or tech has allowed people to see each other online, for example.

Rory: Yeah, and interact with people from different countries.

Maria: And just technology gives us, gives us more options, more choices. And people with disabilities, for example, now have access to different things like education, visiting different museums online. When you don't know what to say, you react naturally to a question, "Oh, that's a good question." And then you just say, "I don't know. I don't really know much about it."

Rory: I really don't. Like, who looks into information on what people do in their country?

Maria: But you kind of, you're supposed to see what people around you do, like, do they go to bars, clubs, or pubs?

Rory: I don't pay attention to other people. I mind my own business.

Maria: Really? So you just, okay, wow.

Rory: Yes, like a normal person.

Maria: All right, okay. So we might assume that people in my country enjoy reading, playing games, going online, just browse through social media, browse through or interact through or just look at social media. So they still go and see friends, family, so the usual stuff. But going out is pretty expensive. So what about your country? How do people spend their free time? Sleeping, eating, going out, drinking, dancing, reading, doing sports. You get to get like classical things, right? Nothing special. Stay well, healthy, and happy, okay? We'll get back to you in our next episode. All right? Bye.

Rory: Bye.