节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-12-20
难易度:High
关键字:contemplate, beckon, go under, premature, condo
Hello, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And my name is Carolyn.
And your English will improve today.
OK, we're talking about Planning for the Future.
We're going to enjoy a conversation between Ben and his Uncle Bob as they talk
about this important topic - planning for the future.
Well, the future is the great unknown.
Nobody knows the future.
Nobody knows what's even going to happen in the next hour.
So how can you plan for the future?
Or maybe you are already planning for the future.
What kinds of plans do you have for your future?
Carolyn, do you have an answer for this?
Well, I do have a few plans.
Right now my plan is to stay in Taiwan.
I love living here, and so my future plans are to stay here.
And those plans might change in the future.
I don't know, because I make my plans depending on where I think God is sending
me.
OK. So how do you make your plans?
What do I plan on doing in the future?
Well, I do plan on continuing to study Chinese.
I think that's very important.
I also plan on continuing to learn drums and acting and investing in those
things that I enjoy.
Well, what are your plans for the future?
Right now it's time to plan on learning something from today's lesson.
Let's get started.
(Music).
Planning for the Future.
Plan for all the possibilities.
Hey, Uncle Bob.
How are you today?
I'm doing well, Ben.
Actually, I have some big news to share with you.
What is it?
Well, your Aunt June and I are moving to Hawaii.
Hawaii? Why Hawaii?
We've always loved Hawaii, and now that we're retired there's nothing to stop us
from spending more time there.
We've been contemplating a change of scenery for some time.
Wow. That is big news.
Are you planning to keep your place here?
Sure. We've purchased a condo in Hawaii, but we're only planning to live there
during the winter.
(Music).
Well, those plans were a bit unexpected.
I did not realize that this would be happening in our article today.
But as we see at the very top there, plan for all the possibilities.
So even ones you don't expect, you need to try to plan for them anyway.
OK, all the possibilities.
That means what could possibly happen? You need to think about everything.
OK. Well, we do have a conversation here.
How are we going to decide who plays Ben and Uncle Bob here, Carolyn?
Let's do rock, paper, scissors.
Oh. Uh, OK.
If I win, I'll be Uncle Bob.
Oh. All right.
OK.
Let's do this.
Rock, paper, scissors.
You didn't...
I have a rock.
You have a rock?
I win!
You wanted to be Uncle Bob?
Yes.
OK, Uncle Bob, uh... Oh, Ben has the first line. That's me. Great!
Ben. He goes:
Hey, Uncle Bob.
How are you today?
I'm doing well, Ben.
Actually, I have some big news to share with you.
What is it?
Well, it's... it's big. It's big news.
It's... it's big news.
Yes.
Well, great.
Actually, keep that thought in mind, friends.
We're going to learn more about big news later in today's lesson.
But Ben's question is "What is it?" What is the big news?
Well, your Aunt June and I are moving to Hawaii.
Hawaii? Why Hawaii?
Oh, you're so upset, Ben.
It's... OK. It's OK, Ben.
It won't be OK.
Hawaii is very far from where Ben lives, so I can understand why Ben sounds a
little bit upset here.
Yes, it does make sense if his Uncle Bob and Aunt June are moving to Hawaii,
very far away, out in the middle of the ocean.
But Uncle Bob says:
We've always loved Hawaii, and now that we are retired there's nothing to stop
us from spending more time there.
Great, excellent!
Now I like this line that Bob says here: We've always loved Hawaii.
We've always loved something.
Well, what's an activity that you've always enjoyed or always loved?
I've always loved acting.
I've always loved singing.
Maybe you enjoy cooking.
You've always loved cooking.
Yes. So think about those things that you've always loved.
Or maybe you've always loved a place like Hawaii.
Or you've always loved the countryside and you love to go visit it.
Well, Uncle Bob has always loved Hawaii.
And now that he and his wife are retired there's nothing to stop them, which is
a great phrase.
If there's nothing to stop you, that means that you really don't have any reason
not to do something.
Exactly. So they're going to move to Hawaii; they made up their minds.
That's what they're planning for the future.
OK. Well, what else does Uncle Bob say here?
Ah, yes.
We've been contemplating a change of scenery for some time.
Great. Excellent.
We see our first key word here.
The word is contemplate.
That means you are considering something or seriously thinking about something.
You're contemplating.
How can you use that word?
Well, there are a lot of things that you want to make sure you take time to
contemplate.
You don't want to just rush into a big decision.
Like if you are thinking about starting a company, you should really contemplate
all of the possibilities and everything that will be involved in starting the
company.
Or maybe you're working at a certain place or an organization, and you think
that maybe it's not appropriate for you.
You need something different, so you're contemplating a job change.
You're contemplating the future.
You're thinking about how things will change for you.
OK, so this is great.
Uncle Bob has been contemplating a change of scenery for some time.
Let's take a look at that phrase: a change of scenery.
Well, that means you're going to change your environment.
And sometimes we humans need a change of scenery.
That's right.
So if he is moving from a big city to a tropical island, that is quite a change
of scenery.
Have you ever thought about going for a change of scenery?
Or what other things might you want a change of, Gabe?
Well, sometimes we talk about having a change of pace.
You're really busy in the office or doing something that keeps you very
stressed.
And then you do some activity that is a little more laid-back.
That's a change of pace.
You're not as stressed.
Great. Well, I think, Ben, you have the next line.
Right.
Wow. That is big news.
Big news?
Well, I have great news for you.
Steve and Ken are waiting in the Information Cloud here to talk to us all about
news.
Welcome to Info Cloud.
If you're a regular viewer or listener, you'll know that one topic we focused on
more than a few times is uncountable nouns.
And today we have yet another uncountable noun for you: news.
First of all, don't let the S at the end of "news" fool you.
It may look like it's plural, but the word "news" is, in fact, a mass noun,
which is uncountable.
Being uncountable means it can never take the indefinite article A.
That's right, because A means one.
And one implies it's countable.
And as we mentioned time and time again, uncountable nouns take singular verbs.
For example, is there any news?
No. There is not much news.
Or, yes, there is a lot of news.
Notice we cannot say "many" news.
But you can use the word "some," which can be used with both countable and
uncountable nouns.
Like Uncle Bob says in today's lesson: I have some big news to share with you.
So how do you count it?
Once again, there's that convenient word we can use for most uncountable nouns:
piece.
Here's a piece of news for you.
Or if you want to refer to something on the TV news or in the newspaper, you can
say a news item, a news report or a news story.
(Chinese).
Thank you, guys.
Well, let me continue Ben's line here.
His question is: Are you planning to keep your place here?
"Place" means apartment or house, wherever you live.
Are you planning to keep your place here?
Sure. We've purchased a condo in Hawaii, but we're only planning to live there
during the winter.
So, no, you don't need to worry.
We'll... we'll be back, Ben.
Of course Uncle Bob will be back.
All right.
Well, we have more to learn with Michelle in the Language Lab.
And then we will be back as well.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).