English, baby!

It's in the Cards

Date: Oct 23 2007

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

It’s late at night and you’re walking down a city street. You see a woman wearing a scarf sitting at a table with some candles and a deck of cards. “Would you like to see your future?” she asks.

Humans have always wanted to know the future, and you’re no different. You may not read tea leaves or consult the stars like your ancestors, but you look for signs in coincidences and dreams like everyone else. So you sit down, pay a small fee and the reader draws…gasp! The death card.

Don’t panic. Let Marni explain.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Beren

Marni: So have you ever had a tarot reading?

Beren: I haven’t, but I’m totally interested. I’d like to know what’s in my future. What’s in the cards. Have you had one?

Marni: I’ve only had one and it was, I have to say, it was at a very transitional phase in my life, and it was very telling.

Beren: Really?

Marni: Yeah! There was a lot of things…and I actually kind of took notes, and I look back on them and she was pretty accurate.

Beren: Whoa.

Marni: With some of the things. Some of the things at the time I thought were far-fetched. But it’s very interesting because a lot of the cards…You know, you draw the death card and it seems like “Oh my God.” It doesn’t mean you’re going to die, but it means like significant changes. It’s fascinating, just the history behind the cards themselves.

Beren: How long have they been in use?

Marni: I don’t even know. It’s been around forever. It’s just one of those sort of mysterious dark arts.

Beren: Like a Harry Potter-type dark art? One of my friends is really into getting cards read. They seem pretty accurate. I’m totally interested.

Marni: I’d love to know how to read them because that’s a whole pseudoscience in and of itself.

Beren: Yeah, a total skill probably. You could make some money!

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Discussion

Though she hasn’t had a tarot reading, Beren would like to have one since she has a desire to know the future. Marni has only had one tarot reading, but it was very accurate.

She took notes during the reading and looking back, a lot of the predictions came true. Some of them didn’t, but overall, the reading was a success.

The cards have been around for a long time and their meanings are somewhat mysterious. For instance, the death card rarely signifies death. It usually represents a big change.

Marni and Beren agree it would be cool to learn how to read tarot cards. It could even be a business.

Have you ever had a tarot reading? Do you want to know your future?

Comments

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gubenliang

China

i am a christian, i believe in Juses,i do what holy bible tell me to do.

for tarot reading,i think sometime it is ture,buacuse i believe there are evils in the world.

j3yuan520

China

I am agree with you.

July

China

It will be true if you beleive it, I think. I'm interested in tarot reading very much too, but just for fun. Maybe the good future from reading encourages you work hard and then succeed finally. But it because of you harding working, right?

ben8853

China

i think you believe or not that is your decision. It is totally psychological suggestion.believe or disbelieve it is rely on you.

spoiled2

Chile

i actually do not believe on that. we create our own future. there is not a destiny or something that gonna happend to as…

Christoph07

Germany

It is a great deal with a lot of people who are open to mysterie things. Maybe it is funny to do this. But I am sure it is better to think about the future than believe in tarot-readings.

smilekhj

South Korea

(What I was writing had gone away! It's so sad and desperating! crying;()

In the world, there are tons of things we can't prove scientifically.

When I was in a turning-point in my life, I had to make a important choice. I felt so worried and anxious. I couldn't stand it, I didn't know what to do. So I came over fortune teller's house and asked a advice. At that time, I also thought it was far-fetched as Marni was, but now looking back, what fortune teller told me is realized. It is so amazing and telling.

rlstudio

China

I never had one by myself. But the tarot reading is very prevalent in my country, especially in rural areas. I grew up in rural country side area, I had seen many case that the traditional mysterious customs work and the tarot reading is accurate. Such as, once one family's cock cries at midnight, then something calamity will happen to the families; I witnessed one of my friend's case; Drinking the ground water of 7th, July (lunar calendar of China) can heal fever and some other illness, It's true that the water on that day never spoil; My mom consulted an astrology for me saying that I am smart and good at study and will success in my career, looks like my study and work is going pretty well. whoa haha ( Of course I just take it for fun, I won't rely on that and I know I need to do my best to gain a bright future)

icingblue813

China

I haven't have a tarot reading.Form what they have talked ,I think it's really mysterious.I usually like doing some psychic tests on websites or on books.It's interesting that sometimes they are really telling.But most of the time,I just take it for fun.I think I will not have it to tell me about future.Everybody should try his/her best to gain a good future,not just rely on tarot reading.