节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-04-04
难易度:High
关键字:destination, stumble, tension, operation, Native American, Civil War,
telegraph
Hello again.
Do you know what the capital of California is?
Did you guess Los Angeles or San Francisco or maybe San Diego?
Those are all very nice cities to visit, but actually none of them is
California's capital city.
The capital was actually mentioned in our lesson today.
That's right - Sacramento is the capital city.
And our lesson is about the Pony Express.
Sometimes it was quite a dangerous task carrying mail from St. Joseph to
Sacramento.
Let's enjoy the next part of our lesson together now.
(Music).
The Pony Express.
Despite the risks, the Pony Express lost only one delivery during its one and a
half years in operation.
And when Abraham Lincoln was elected president, the Pony Express carried the
news to California in only five days.
It also spread news of the beginning of America's Civil War.
The end of an age.
The Pony Express service ended in October 1861 after a telegraph line across the
U.S. was completed.
Yet the riders' courage and accomplishments still hold a place in legend.
(Chinese).
And now let's go to our teachers.
Thanks, Michelle.
So while working for the Pony Express was often a dangerous job, we read about
some success stories.
That's right.
Despite the risks, the Pony Express lost only one delivery during its one and a
half years in operation.
Let's talk about that word: despite.
We could also say "even though" there were risks or "although" there were risks.
And you could use the word in other ways, too.
Despite the bad weather, we continued with our hiking plans.
Or everyone said Sandy would never become famous.
But despite their discouragement, Sandy pressed on and became a celebrity.
And despite the risks, and there were many risks, the Pony Express lost only one
delivery.
Now do you know what I think of when I hear the word "delivery"?
Mail?
No.
Pizza!
Oh, of course.
Often people order pizza to be delivered to their house.
That's called a pizza delivery.
And of course when mail arrives at your house or the post office, that's a
delivery, too.
Anything you carry from one place to another is a delivery because it is
delivered to you.
Well, only one delivery was lost during the year and a half the Pony Express was
running.
That's pretty impressive.
And we read that when Abraham Lincoln was elected president, the Pony Express
carried the news to California in only five days.
Now that's impressive.
That's only half the time that Russell had promised.
I know.
And the Pony Express also spread news of the beginning of America's Civil War.
Now a civil war is a war between groups of the same country.
The flag in this picture belongs to one of the groups in the American Civil War.
And many countries have civil wars for all sorts of reasons.
The main issue behind the American Civil War was slavery.
And the war lasted quite a while, from 1861 to 1865, and 600,000 soldiers were
killed.
And news about the war was delivered to those in California via the Pony
Express.
But we read about the end of an age here.
The Pony service... the Pony Express service ended in October 1861 after a
telegraph line across the U.S. was completed.
But riders' courage and accomplishments hold a place in legend.
If something holds a place somewhere, what does that mean?
That means it is very significant.
So the Pony Express is very significance in American history.
Well, Steve and Ken hold a place in our daily lessons.
Let's join them now as they discuss how technology changes languages.
Great idea.
And then we'll enjoy a review skit and the Editor's Summary.
So here we go.
The telegraph, a revolutionary piece of technology for its time, had a profound
effect on languages.
Mainly it forced people to strip away regional expressions and get on the same
page in terms of style and usage.
In other words, it helped promote the standardization of languages.
So how about modern technology?
Does it also affect the way we communicate?
You bet it does, both in writing and in speech.
For example, I think we would agree that our communication has become briefer
and more informal,
especially when we text others using a keyboard or touch screen.
Twitter's 140-character limit plays a role in this development.
Right. Next, technology has enlarged our lexicon at a dizzying rate.
Every year we're introduced to new words like spam or Wi-Fi and selfie, these
words that have their roots in technology.
OK, here's another example.
Technology affects the way we write, more specifically, our ability to write
legibly and accurately.
This is something we'll touch on a little more next week.
Lastly, fewer verbal conversations are taking place.
Yes, according to polls, it seems that more and more people prefer texting to
speaking over the phone.
Are you one of them?
(Chinese).
(Background Noise).
Are you OK?
Boy, you look tired, and your horse looks tired, too.
Yeah. Well, we've been riding at full tilt for 90 miles.
90 miles?! Why are you traveling so far and so fast?
Because I'm Johnny Fry, and I'm riding for the Pony Express.
The Pony Express?
Yeah. I'm delivering mail to destinations in California in only 10 days.
California? In only 10 days?
Yeah.
That's crazy!
I know.
There's a vast wilderness between here and California.
Yes, sir, and the Pony Express carries letter across those 2,000 miles.
Riders like me face... well, we face extreme temperatures and unfriendly natives
and rivers, and it isn't easy, no way, no how.
Boy, sounds dangerous.
Yes, it is! It's far from safe, I'm telling you.
Tensions between settlers and Native Americans have turned into fighting.
Oh! I heard several relay stations have been attacked and forced to close.
Oh, no.
Well, despite the risks, I will continue to carry letters, spread news across
this beautiful land.
Well, you just rode 90 miles.
Yeah.
Now what?
Well, a new rider will take over, and I'll pass the leather bag full of letters
to him.
Uh... what bag of letters?
Oh, no! I forgot to bring my bag of letters.
Oops! I guess you'd better go back and get it.
Yeah. I hate it when this happens.
We have been talking about the Pony Express in the 1800s in the United States.
Were the routes the riders took safe?
Not at all.
Rivers, mountains and unfriendly natives were all a problem.
And in fact, there was even fighting between the Native Americans and the
settlers with some relay stations being attacked.
But in spite of all this, only one bag of mail was lost during the Pony Express
service.
This was actually the way the news of America's Civil War was spread to
California.
And why did it stop?
Well, a telegraph line was expanded across the entire country.
But the Pony Express lives on in history.
Thank you, Linda.
And thank you for joining us for a little history lesson about the Pony Express.
Though the Pony Express only lasted a year and a half, we can see how
significant it was in bringing important news to others.
And it's important to see how you can meet the needs of those around you.
Well, we'll see you all next time right here at Studio Classroom.
(Music).