节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-12-09
难易度:High
关键字:abound, splendor, comprehensive, immense, lavish
Today we are learning all about the capital city of Spain - Madrid.
Now this city is a city of contrasts because it boasts historic sites as well as
modern skyscrapers.
One historic site that we've talked about so far is the Royal Palace.
And the Royal Palace has 2,800 rooms that are just filled with splendor, or they
are splendid, lavish rooms.
Well, we have a lot more to learn about this great city and its history in the
next part of our lesson.
Let's continue.
Things to do in Madrid.
In the Royal Palace Gardens, people can gaze on statues and sculptures or relax
by the reflecting pond.
Art.
The internationally respected Prado Museum is the largest and most impressive
art gallery in Spain.
Opened in 1819, it is filled with works of art that feature the world's most
comprehensive collection of Spanish paintings.
Shopping.
Madrid has some of Europe's best shopping, and potential buyers love to browse
the stores looking for bargains.
But for 500 years, shoppers have flocked to an immense outdoor flea market known
as the Rastro, where they find everything from antiques to CDs.
Well, of course you can experience some art and shopping in Madrid.
But let's continue learning about history here really quick.
Let's go back to the beginning of this part of our reading.
We read more about the Royal Palace.
In the Royal Palace Gardens, people can gaze on statues and sculptures or relax
by the reflecting pond.
All right. Well, what do you do when you're gazing on statues?
You're looking at these statues and admiring the artwork.
This sounds like a very beautiful garden, and it is!
I've seen many pictures of it.
And you can see that beautiful pond, the reflecting pond that you can just sit
by and relax.
Well, we look at the next section of our reading here: Art.
The internationally respected Prado Museum is the largest and most impressive
art gallery in Spain.
And it is "internationally respected," as we read here.
That means people from all over the world really respect what they have done
with this museum, this art gallery.
Well, opened in 1819, it is filled with works of art that feature the world's
most comprehensive collection of Spanish paintings.
Comprehensive.
Well, let's take a look at that word from our Word Bank.
That means it includes a lot of different kinds of details.
Many things you might need to remember if it is comprehensive.
That's right.
So you can describe many different kinds of things as being comprehensive.
So here we have a collection of art - means that it contains many pieces.
So it has a wide variety and great details in art.
But you could also say that a test is comprehensive.
That means that it will cover the majority of the material that you have been
learning in that class.
That's right.
For example, if you have an English class, of course you learn vocabulary.
You might also learn grammar.
And you might also learn how to read, and you need to listen, OK.
There are different parts to each test.
It's a comprehensive exam.
All right. Well, what else can be comprehensive?
Well, maybe you're traveling to a city like Madrid, and you have a comprehensive
travel guide of that city.
It's a book that describes all the different things that you can do in that
city.
Well, there are many things to do in Madrid.
And right now we are going to watch a video about this city of art.
(Music).
With unique works of renowned prestige, Madrid's most important art galleries
and museums are a reference for world art.
The Prado Museum has the finest collection in the world of Spanish painting from
the 11th to the 18th centuries:
El Greco, Velazquez, Goya, with other major Spanish artists from the Century of
Gold and painting of other nationalities such as Flemish, Italian, German,
French or British.
The Reina Sofia Museum has 20th-century Spanish painting and sculpture.
Picasso, Miro, Dali, Juan Gris, Pablo Gargallo, Julio Gonzalez, Chillida.
Among the works on exhibit is Picasso's Guernica.
A panoramic view of paintings since the 14th century can be seen in the
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.
Early Italian and Dutch, German Renaissance, landscapes, impressionism.
The Sorolla Museum exhibits numerous works by this brilliant painter together
with other popular art objects and sculptures by different artists.
(Music).
Countless museums of all kinds from all periods with all kinds of content for
all tastes.
(Music).
Wow! This makes me really want to visit Madrid and especially enjoy the art
there.
If you were listening carefully, you noticed that there were many museums
mentioned in that video.
So there's lots to do, lots of art to see.
Well, let's continue learning about shopping in Madrid.
Madrid has some of Europe's best shopping, and potential buyers love to browse
the stores looking for bargains.
Carolyn, I know what a buyer is.
What is a potential buyer?
Well, a potential buyer is someone who is just looking around.
Maybe they'll buy something; maybe they won't, so.
There's potential that they will buy something, but we're not quite sure yet
because they are looking for bargains.
And of course it's good to look for bargains.
It's good to buy something at a reasonable price.
Some places have a fixed price, but in other places you can bargain for a
cheaper price.
Well, but for 500 years, we read, shoppers have flocked to an immense outdoor
flea market known as the Rastro,
where they can... or where they find everything from antiques to CDs.
I would love to visit this immense flea market.
And that is a word from our Word Bank: immense.
If something is immense, then it is very, very large.
This is a word that you might use to describe an elephant as being an immense
animal.
Now there are other things that could also be immense like this flea market or a
shopping mall.
It seemed like the stores never ended.
The mall was immense.
That's right.
So these things are concrete, things that you can feel or see or sense, those
that can be immense, very large.
You could also talk about immense suffering that someone experiences.
That means they're going through a lot of deep suffering that is immense.
Or you could experience immense satisfaction with the product that you bought,
or immense pleasure with something.
That's right.
Well, it is time for us to continue learning with Steve and Ken in the
Information Cloud.
And then we'll join Michelle in the Language Lab.
These days it's really popular and convenient to sell things you don't want
anymore over the Internet.
That's right.
There are many sites that will help you sell your secondhand stuff.
Musical instruments, books, old shoes, electronic gadgets... anything, really.
Well, before the Internet, people sold their used stuff at markets like a flea
market.
Now the origin of flea market is disputed.
But the best guess we have comes from Paris, France.
In French, it's called "marche aux puces" or market where one gets fleas because
it was thought that the secondhand articles people sold,
things like used clothing and old upholstered furniture contained or attracted
fleas.
You know, those tiny little insects that sucked your blood.
Hmm.
In England, you're more likely to hear the phrase "bring and buy sale." Or if
the market is in a big parking lot or empty field,
it might be called a car boot sale, which means that people are selling stuff
from the boot or trunk of their cars.
In Australia, these markets go by a different name: trash and treasure markets.
Very nice, because one man's trash is another man's treasure.
(Chinese).
All right.
(Chinese).
And keep watching as our lesson continues.
Well, I've enjoyed learning about Madrid so far.
And of course we have more to learn in our lesson next time.
But we did learn about something here today.
A large or immense outdoor flea market called the Rastro.
Now have you ever been to a flea market?
Carolyn, have you ever had an interesting experience at a flea market?
Well, flea markets can be a lot of fun, and they are very popular around the
world.
And I have been to a few, and you can find some really great things there
secondhand.
I found a beautiful vase for my flowers.
Well, I agree.
You can find lots of cool things at flea markets, and of course probably for a
cheaper price as well.
Well, we have more to learn in our lesson next time, so please do come back and
join us here at Studio Classroom. See you then.
(Music).