ESL Podcast 331 – Washing Clothes

Mina: What happened here? Is the washing machine not working?

Arlo: What do you mean?

Mina: Why are all of your white T-shirts now pink?

Arlo: That just happens. Sometimes they turn pink, gray, or another color, depending on which clothes I put in a load.

Mina: Didn’t anyone teach you how to do laundry? You’re supposed to separate your whites from your colors and wash them separately.

Arlo: It doesn’t really matter. I don’t mind if they get dyed a different color. As long as they get clean and the stains come out, I don’t really care what color they are.

Mina: I have some bleach¹ that may be able to get your T-shirts white again. I better try before you put them in the dryer².

Arlo: Don’t bother. It really doesn’t matter to me. I’m almost done here. I’m just waiting for one more load to finish.

Mina: What kind of detergent³ are you using?

Arlo: I ran out of detergent, so I’ve been using dishwashing liquid. It works pretty well.

Mina: No wonder your shirts are as stiff as a board. Good thing you don’t own any delicates or they would be completely ruined. Before you put your clothes in the dryer, clean out this lint⁴ filter. It’s really dirty. I don’t suppose you use fabric⁵ softener⁶.

Arlo: No, I like to keep things simple and dry my clothes on a clothesline. I don’t mind if they’re a little stiff.

Mina: Remind me never to ask you to do my laundry.

Arlo: Life is too short to worry about laundry.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 bleach   

vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂

参考例句：

• These products don't bleach the hair.这些产品不会使头发变白。
• Did you bleach this tablecloth?你把这块桌布漂白了吗？

2 dryer   

n.干衣机，干燥剂

参考例句：

• He bought a dryer yesterday.他昨天买了一台干燥机。
• There is a washer and a dryer in the basement.地下室里有洗衣机和烘干机。

3 detergent   

n.洗涤剂；adj.有洗净力的

参考例句：

• He recommended a new detergent to me.他向我推荐一种新的洗涤剂。
• This detergent can remove stubborn stains.这种去污剂能去除难洗的污渍。

4 lint   

n.线头；绷带用麻布，皮棉

参考例句：

• Flicked the lint off the coat.把大衣上的棉绒弹掉。
• There are a few problems of air pollution by chemicals,lint,etc.,but these are minor.化学品、棉花等也造成一些空气污染问题，但这是次要的。

5 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

6 softener   

n.起软化作用的东西，软化剂，柔软剂

参考例句：

• This is a good fabric softener for woolens. 这是一种很好的羊毛织物柔软剂。
• Ion exchange softening Series: If Mobile-bed tower, Combined softener and Automatic softener. 离子交换软化系列：如三塔流动床、组合式软水器和全自动软水器。