节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-12-05
难易度:Low
关键字:avenge, timid, audience, loom, samurai, negative
Hello, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And my name is Carolyn.
And your English will improve today.
We're going to continue learning about Holiday Movies for Everyone.
We've already talked about a lot of holiday movies the last couple of days.
Some movies have already come out.
Maybe you've seen some of them.
And of course, we have more to learn about.
Some movies are completely fiction, and some movies are based on real events in
history.
Hey, what kind of movie do you like to watch more, completely fiction or movies
that are based on true stories?
I really like movies that are based on true stories.
I think that it adds a very exciting element to history and helps to get people
more interested in that subject,
because so many times history class can be very boring, but movies that are
based on historical events bring it to life.
And I really enjoy history now.
You know, me too.
And that's why I love The Hobbit because that was based on a true story of these
Hobbits and dwarfs going to fight this dragon...
Gabe, Gabe, I... I don't think that was a true story.
Oh.
No.
All right.
I was wrong.
Well, friends, we do have a lot more to learn today, so let's get started.
Holiday Movies for Everyone.
Action adventure 47 Ronin is set in 18th-century Japan.
A group of samurai must avenge their master's death.
Adventure finds a most unlikely person in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Walter, a timid magazine photo manager, lives a quiet life.
Exciting things only happen to him in his dreams.
But when a negative disappears, Walter finds himself in a real-life adventure!
OK, let's get started here talking about 47 Ronin.
Action adventure 47 Ronin is set in 18th-century Japan.
So not very recently.
47 Ronin.
Now what's this about?
Well, we read:
A group of samurai must avenge their master's death.
So that is what this movie is about.
A group of samurai which...
What are samurai, Gabe?
Well, that's a good question.
They are warriors.
They are Japanese warriors, but not just like any old soldier, they are the top
of the line.
They're the best, OK, these samurai warriors.
Maybe you've seen the movie with Tom Cruise called The Last Samurai.
Well, that was another samurai movie.
That's right.
Now these ronin are dedicated as servants, as protectors to a master.
And here, their master is killed.
So they want to avenge their master's death.
Now that word is from our Word Bank, the word "avenge." What does that mean,
Gabe?
Well, that's a good question.
Avenge means to take revenge on something or on somebody. OK.
That means you are going to have your revenge.
Someone hurt you, and now you're going to hurt them.
Someone hurt your master, and so now you're going to hurt that person or do
something to them.
Carolyn, what do you think about revenge or avenging people?
Well, I don't really think it's a very good idea.
I think that we're supposed to be able to forgive people and find more peaceful
ways to get around these problems and wrongs that are done to us.
But here in this movie, these samurai want to avenge the death of their master.
Now we have many other movies to talk about today, so let's continue.
Gabe, what is the next movie in the article?
All right. Here we're going to learn about another adventure.
Adventure finds a most unlikely person in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
An unlikely person.
Maybe he will be considered a hero, so he's an unlikely hero.
And why is he unlikely?
Well, we find out more about that as we read further.
What does it say here, Carolyn?
We read: Walter, a timid magazine photo manager, lives a quiet life.
So yes, he would be a little bit unlikely to go on an adventure if he is a timid
magazine photo manager living a quiet life.
And we have that word from the Word Bank: timid.
Let's take a look.
If you are timid, then you are very shy, not very outgoing, kind of loud, and
maybe a little bit frightened of things.
OK. So if you are timid, then maybe you could use another word to describe
yourself.
You have timidity, T-I-M-I-D-I-T-Y. OK.
Well, I think it's important to try not to be timid, to try to be a little more
brave, a little more courageous.
OK, so don't timid.
But we, of course, see that Walter Mitty was a timid guy, and so that's what
makes him unlikely.
Now you understand what that word "unlikely" means as well.
You don't really expect this person to do something, so it's unlikely that he
will be the hero.
That's right.
But we do read that he doesn't just live a quiet life, but he does think very
exciting things.
So exciting things only happen to him in his dreams.
So he dreams about having an exciting life filled with adventure.
But when a negative disappears, Walter finds himself in a real-life adventure.
All right. And of course we have some things to talk about here.
Of course Walter Mitty is a photo manager, OK.
And so he deals with negatives.
And that's a kind of photo.
When you're developing the film, you're developing pictures, of course you have
to have the negatives.
All right. So he has a negative, and this negative disappears or is stolen.
But then what happens here, Carolyn?
Well, he finds himself in a real-life adventure.
So he's not dreaming about them anymore.
But we see a phrase there: he finds himself.
Let's take a look at that.
If you find oneself, find yourself doing something, that means that you become a
part of it or some action is taking place.
So after the movie, I found myself discussing every detail with my friends
because we enjoyed it so much.
Well, after the movie and after discussing the movie, I was hungry.
So I found myself walking, and eventually I found myself at the kitchen in the
refrigerator, eating all sorts of things there.
Well, that is a good place to find yourself when you are hungry.
So where do you find yourself?
Do you find yourself enjoying something?
Maybe you find yourself enjoying your English class or enjoying speaking English
and practicing with other people.
Well, wherever you find yourself, I hope you find yourself enjoying yourself
right now as we continue learning with Michelle in the Language Lab.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).