节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-03-10
难易度:Low
关键字:staff, hesitate, take off, hopefully
Hey again, everyone.
Today we are at the zoo.
OK, well, not really.
We're here in the studio, but our story takes place at a zoo.
Robin and her little brother Jay get to see all sorts of animals all the time.
Why? Because their parents run a zoo.
They especially love playing with a parrot named Gwen.
But they're only allowed to do that when a staff member is around.
Well, life can get wild if you live at a zoo, and if you're a little bit naughty
like Jay.
Let's continue with our story.
(Music).
What a Zoo!
Robin hesitated but eventually agreed.
When the cat's away, the mice will play!
The children took the key from the office and opened Gwen's cage.
The parrot took off and flew out of the zoo!
The kids ran after her.
"Don't worry. She has to stop sometime," Jay said hopefully.
But Robin thought they were on a wild goose chase.
Compared to Gwen, the kids were moving at a snail's pace.
But they kept her in sight until she flew into a park.
(Chinese).
And now let's see what our teachers are up to.
Thanks, Michelle.
Well, it looks like Robin and Jay are in a bit of trouble.
Gwen the parrot has flown away.
And it's all Robin's fault.
What?! It's Jay's fault.
He is the one who wanted to take Gwen out play.
Yes, yes. But Robin is supposed to be the responsible older sister, Carolyn.
Well, what do you think?
Sometimes when things like this happen, we start to point fingers at each other.
You did it.
No. You did it.
Now this phrase is not in our lesson, but I think it's important to teach.
Don't point fingers.
Yes. This means don't blame others when something goes wrong.
Even if you're not responsible for doing something wrong, it's better to come
along beside the person who made a mistake and encourage them, not point
fingers.
Well, it looks like Robin and Jay have a good relationship with each other.
If Gwen the parrot really got away, I don't think Robin would point a finger at
Jay.
I think she would say it was equally her fault.
But I hope they can catch the bird.
For now, let's talk about another animal idiom here.
When the cat's away, the mice will play.
Often when people in leadership are not around, it's easier to relax.
Right. So you might use this phrase when your boss is out of the office, all of
your co-workers start checking Facebook and doing other things.
When the cat's away, the mice will play.
Oh, man. I remember once in my high school, my friend Brad and I were the only
older kids in class.
Our Spanish teacher was out for the day, so we had a substitute teacher.
When the cat's away, the mice will play.
None of the students paid attention to the substitute teacher.
Really! What did you guys do?
Well, the students were noisy and throwing paper airplanes around.
Brad and I just looked at each other and didn't know what to do.
When our teacher heard about it, she told me and Brad we should have made the
other kids be quiet.
Because you were older?
Yeah. Maybe she was right.
Well, I guess at any age, when the cat's away, the mice will play.
So what happened in our story?
The children took the key from the office and opened Gwen's cage, and then the
parrot took off!
Oh, no! Now you probably guess that's what would happen when they opened the
cage.
OK, so the bird's cage is where it lives.
Now many animals live in cages.
Some people put their dogs in cages.
If you get a pet mouse, you might keep it in a cage.
And Gwen the parrot was in a cage, but now she's not.
And she took off and flew out of the zoo.
She took off. Hmm.
When I think of the phrase "take off," I think of an airplane leaving the
ground.
The plane is taking off.
Or we just use the noun takeoff.
The pilot always says: OK. Prepare for takeoff.
Well, for airplanes or rockets, you might use the noun takeoff.
But for other things that move, you just use the verb phrase: to take off.
We use this to talk about things leaving quickly.
The bird took off.
That means it started to fly away.
And at the beginning of a race, we could say the runners take off.
They start running very suddenly.
But sometimes I use this phrase in another way.
Sorry. I got to take off.
Wait, Gabe. Where are you going?
Carolyn, I got to take off.
I have to leave.
You can't take off now.
We're in the middle of our lesson.
Well, when can I take off?
When we're finished?
Well.
That Gabe. Sometimes take off can stand for leaving, so you can say it when you
leave a party.
Well, this silly bird took off, this Gwen the parrot.
And now the kids are running after her.
Now Jay says something interesting here.
Don't worry. She has to stop sometime.
Now you remember what Steve and Ken said about that "sometime," right?
Right. And we can use the phrase has to or have to in other ways.
For example, Gabe, do you want to get dinner later?
Oh, you know, I'll be working pretty late today, Carolyn.
Well, you have to eat sometime.
Come hang out with my friends when you're finished work.
OK. I have to eat sometime.
Or maybe you're waiting for a bus, and it's taking a long time.
Your friend might say: Don't worry.
The bus has to come sometime.
Let's keep waiting.
Try to think of a way to use that phrase today.
For now, let's look at two more animal idioms.
If you go on a wild goose chase, that means you are trying to accomplish
something, but deep down you don't really think it will become a reality.
That's right.
So Robin doesn't actually believe they will catch Gwen.
Now we see another animal idiom here.
The kids were moving at a snail's pace.
Carolyn, how fast does a snail go?
Very slow.
And compared to the parrot Gwen, the kids really were moving very slow.
But they kept her in sight until she flew into a park.
And now it's time for us to visit Liz in the Grammar Gym.
And then we'll join Linda for the Editor's Summary.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym, friends.
I hope you're all doing well today.
My name is Liz.
In our lesson today we see this sentence:
But they kept her in sight until she flew into a park.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Notice the sentence pattern:
[subject] ... keep(s) [something] ... in sight until ... [a situation happens].
This isn't a hard sentence pattern.
To keep something in sight means to keep one's eyes on something or to continue
watching something so one doesn't lose it.
So the kids were watching the parrot and making sure they don't lose her until
she flew into a park.
OK, let's have a look at some example sentences.
Donald kept his cellphone in sight until he went to bed.
Or: After calling 911, Mrs. Lawson kept the man in sight until the police showed
up.
So friends, give this sentence pattern a try.
Think of something that someone wants to watch very closely, and practice using
the sentence pattern.
If you'd like to see some more example sentences, they're available in today's
Grammar Tip section in your Studio Classroom magazine.
That's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
We meet Robin and Jay today.
Their parents own a zoo.
And their favorite animal is a parrot named Gwen.
They aren't allowed to take Gwen out to play unless an adult is around.
But one day when their parents and actually the entire staff were gone, they
took Gwen out, and away she flew!
They ran after her and followed her until she flew into a park.
Thanks, Linda.
We are off to a very exciting start in this story.
What will happen?
Will Robin and Jay catch Gwen?
Or will the bird get away? And will the kids get in trouble?
Well, we will have to wait to see next time.
So be sure to come back for the next part of our story What a Zoo...
Right here at Studio Classroom.
We'll see you later.
(Music).