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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julito

Argentina

Bernard90 - I fully agree with you. Psychic reading ,tarot ,card reading , I prefer to avoid.

bernard90

Russian Federation

I think it’s interesting. Sometimes I want to know my feauture, when I must make important descision for example, but it’s not good. Everybody has a choice, and when psychic reading your future on cards, he robs of your choice.

gabikubota

Brazil

The tarot reading is a old art. I believe in tarot cards, i also can read it.

The message in the cards does not means the future cant be changed, we make our destiny and our future, but in the most of times the message in the cards is true.

The problem is, some people dont know how to do the reading but use it to make money, just it, and say false things, lie.

huma007

Pakistan

i dnt believe in tarot reading those ppl who do that just for weak ppl to earn money and make them fool whem somebody loose hope then he do these kind of things so he can listen some good things about the future i will not do it.

mr.batis

Yemen

Tarot !

in fact it's forbidden in our religion

but I think we have something better than tarot, it is the Interpretation of Dreams. But if we have a bad interpret we don't try to interpret it ,because it will happen, this stands on the Interpreter himself. So we just interpret the good dreams because these dreams are given inside the mind during sleeping as dreams from Allah (the only god). as messeges to us if something we do not good on or if we don't walk in a better way.

almdada2

Sudan

i think this is bullshit

taylor22

Algeria

either you believe or not it’s all depend on you ,you make and shape your futur …i said all what i have in the previous lesson
thanks and do not rely on that dark art.

victor25

Moldova, Republic Of

Sorry to say but this is a total "bs". Everything depends on us and only us. We are making the future, not the future-tellers. Normally they predict general things which normally happen to people. For example talking to a young girl I could have predicted like "she is going to find a nice guy, then marry, then kids, successful life having a nice job and so on and so forth".

I strongly believe that fortune-tellers don't know a s**t about what is going to happen. They just use general pattern for certain group of people depending on their background.

leyu07

China

i tink it is wonderful helpful for my listening.very good.

eke

Germany

I believe in Jesus. I think its better to pray for the help of the Lord to be better in live or to improve your mind. I think its not good to open the door for the evil or bad powers.

WangRong

China

i havent have a tarot reading,but i am very interested in it .

i respect the opinion everyone have

carlosbertholdi

Brazil

I've read all the comments so far and nobody mention COLD READING. As opposite as Marni said, you can't learn how to read the cards and if you can, it doesn't matter. The cards are just a bullshit to make you believe in. This teller or whatever you wanna call it, makes a reading of your body language, the way you speak, they get your profile, your religion, social class and so on, then they make some general, assumptions about you in your life that is something like 50% true in your life but after a number of assumptions you usually remember the ones that coincide with you and they started to make you believe that thing can be true, anyway the whole thing is just a technique. Google "cold reading" to learn more.

Don't make you believe in what people said, if you are looking for patterns or some evidences you can find it everywhere, it doesn't matter what you are looking for, it depends on your frame of mind, if you are a Muslim or a Buddhist or if you have scientific point of view you can find things in the world that will reinforce your believes. But Science is the method that produce real results, for example, if you read about how a TV tube or CRT works you wouldn't believe it, that explanation produce the image that you saw on a TV, but it's true, they said how it works they show you here it is! your TV. The theory and the proof of theory. You cannot say the same about religion, it just theory without proof, and the worst aspect of it is that they teach it, as if it were true but it isn't, it is just theory.

Just don't guide your life with religion beliefs and from someone like a fortune teller.

susanyufei

China

it is fascinating and mysterious.i would like to have a tarot reading.

pravishankarrr

India

At times I believe the tarot reading. Everytime the past reading will be upto the mark. Future will be different with what we hear from tarot reading. Anyways present he won't tell. Why because we are there in front of.

kulasa_143

Philippines

I haven't tried tarot reading…he.he. maybe i should try it when i have the time…but i'm in two minds about it coz its a weird thing for someone to read our future through cards.

melody-Ayu

China

everything in the world is difficult to say.we all say it is far-fetched in a scientific way,but sometimes you really have to believe it!

binary

China

I don't believe it,mnyake it for fun is ok,trust yousef and creat your future,do what you want and need to do ,everyting will go well.

shanie

China

it may help to know your higher self

shanie

China

234657497

but maybe that is not really what tarot cards are about, they are not even really meant to tell you fottune or future, " the most powerful sources of infomation come from within; the tarot aids in coming in contact with one's higher self." (according to the Hermetic order of the golden dawn)

sergito3005

Costa Rica

i do not agree with those kinds of things because card readers just want to deceive naive people. so they just want to pretend that they can gues what is going to happen in the future . many people just want to gain money easily.