节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-04-09
难易度:Low
关键字:misty, detail, make up, memorable, intestine
Hello, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
And your English will improve today.
And so will your appreciation for China.
How well do you know China?
Of course, each country has its famous areas, but it's the lesser-known areas
that add flavor to a place.
And today we will be looking at a village in China, Hongcun.
Have you heard of it?
So open up your magazine, and let's find out all about it.
(Music).
The Villages of Old China.
Hongcun.
This Anhui village may seem familiar even to those who have never visited China.
This is probably because scenes of Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were
filmed here.
It is often said that looking at Hongcun is like looking at a picture.
The reason is clear when its black and white buildings are seen on a misty
morning.
Hongcun is shaped like an ox, a detail that visitors don't usually notice.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
Thank you, Michelle.
Well, we are learning all about a village in Anhui called Hongcun today.
And our lesson starts out by saying: This Anhui village may seem familiar even
to those who have never visited China.
But before we find out why it may seem familiar, let's look at the word:
familiar.
If something is familiar, that means you recognize it for some reason or it is
easily known.
So as our lesson says, something can seem familiar.
It gives you the impression that you've experienced it somewhere before.
Often we use a similar expression, we say something looks familiar.
Have you ever seen someone who looks familiar?
You're not sure if you've seen them before or not, so you say: You look
familiar. Do I know you?
And sometimes we use the word "familiar" with the word "with" to talk about
being familiar with something.
For example, if you are new to a certain area, then you are not yet familiar
with the streets.
Or you could ask someone if they are familiar with a celebrity's music.
If they are, that means they've heard it before.
And back to the lesson about Hongcun, this village may seem familiar even to
those who have never visited China.
And we see the phrase "even to" there as well.
Right. It might be surprising that those who have never been to China find this
place familiar.
Even they find it familiar.
How else could we use the phrase "even to"?
Well, maybe that movie is really scary even to people who watch scary movies all
the time.
Or the hike up that mountain is difficult even to experienced climbers.
Try to use that phrase sometime today.
Now why would Hongcun be familiar to those who have never even visited China?
We find out here -- this is probably because scenes of Ang Lee's Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon were filmed here.
So that's why it looks familiar.
Right.
There are some scenes that were filmed here.
And if you've never seen any of Ang Lee's movies, you should watch some.
They are known for some beautiful scenes just like the scenes shot here.
Now let's look at the name Ang Lee.
Is that his real name?
Well, that's how people in the West know him.
Americans call him Ang Lee.
Of course, he's not from the West.
He's from Taiwan, so people here call him by his Chinese name Lee An.
I see.
And when you said Lee An, I think many of our friends went: Oh!
Sometimes we Westerners like to change names around so much that you don't know
who we're talking about.
Ang Lee doesn't sound familiar but Lee An does.
That's right.
(Chinese). So why do we call him Ang Lee instead of An Lee?
Well, in English, An is similar to Anne, which is a girl's name.
That could be one of the reasons Westerners add a G and call him Ang Lee.
Well, let's call him by his Chinese name, Lee An.
Do you know any of Lee An's other famous movies?
Yes. The Life of Pi was a movie with incredible images and scenery.
Now Carolyn, earlier you used the word "shot" when you said some scenes were
shot here, but that word is not in our lesson.
What does this mean?
Well, our lesson says that scenes were filmed at Hongcun.
And we could also say that scenes were shot there.
That's the past tense of the verb shoot, which is a word we commonly use when
talking about filming something.
Right, like a movie or a TV show.
When I talk to my friends about my job, I will either say I have filming today
or I have TV shooting today.
You can use this word with photography, too.
You can take photos, or you shoot photos.
And some scenes from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were shot, or filmed, here
in Hongcun.
And we read: It is often said that looking at Hongcun is like looking at a
picture.
Well, let's take a look at the phrase: it is often said, or it is said.
This means something has been said so much that it has become a saying.
What are some other things that we can use this phrase with?
Hmm... It is often said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
It is often said here in Taiwan, no pain, no gain.
Yes. We have heard so many students use some of these sayings over and over
again in speeches.
They truly are often said.
The next time you give a speech, feel free to use the phrase "it is said," but
try to think of some other sayings that maybe others haven't heard much.
Great idea.
Now we see the reason that people often say looking at Hongcun is like looking
at a picture.
The reason is clear when its black and white buildings are seen on a misty
morning.
The reason is clear.
That means we don't need any more explanation.
You know, it is often said a picture is worth a thousand words.
And if you are in Hongcun, on a misty morning, you have the best picture.
Now I like that saying, Gabe: a picture is worth a thousand words.
What does it mean?
Well, it can take a lot of effort to explain some things.
And there are just some things in life that just cannot be explained or
expressed with words.
But sometimes when you look at a picture, if it's a good picture, you don't need
any explanation, you simply understand.
Well, between the two of us, we have just said about a thousand words in
teaching this section, Gabe.
Actually, it will have been 1006 words by the time we go to the Grammar Gym, to
be exact.
I wrote today's teaching script...
Oh. Then why didn't we just use a picture, Gabe?
If only teaching English were that easy.
Well, now it is time for us to visit Liz in the Grammar Gym.
Hello, friends.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
Here's our Grammar Tip sentence from today's lesson:
Hongcun is shaped like an ox, a detail that visitors don't usually notice.
Another way to say this is Hongcun is shaped like an ox, and this is a detail
that visitors don't usually notice.
However, saying it that way is much longer.
Now notice the sentence pattern.
Basically we have the main sentence, and then it is followed by a comma, and
then we have a detail that someone doesn't usually notice.
It is just far more direct and shorter to say it this way.
So if you're ever sharing a piece of information or fact that many people may
not know about, you can try using this pattern.
For example:
Rats can last longer without water than a camel, a fact that many people don't
realize.
Or: The original name for butterfly was flutterby, an interesting piece of
information that many people don't know.
So give this sentence pattern a try next time you want to talk about something
really interesting that many people don't know about.
And if you want to see some more examples, you'll find them in today's Grammar
Tip section in your magazine.
That's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you nexttime.