节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-03-17
难易度:Low
关键字:chirp, bloom, bulb, cucumber, megastore, fertilizer, green thumb
Welcome back! Spring is in the air, at least that's the title of our lesson
today.
Nature is waking up and welcoming a new circle of life for the year.
Springtime is a time to celebrate new life and clean out our houses after having
the windows and doors shut tight during the cold winter months.
Gardening is very popular in the U.S. as well.
And many people are preparing for the warm weather by buying seeds, plants and
many other things.
Let's continue learning more about this in the next part of our lesson.
Spring Is in the Air.
People plant flowers in their front yards, and then grow vegetables in their
backyards.
I don't have a green thumb, but luckily my neighbors always bring us some
freshly-picked flowers or cucumbers and tomatoes.
Green is also the color of spring.
March 17, Saint Patrick's Day, is a special holiday that celebrates Irish
culture.
Many people wear something green on that day.
In Chicago, they have a big parade and even dye the river green to celebrate.
(Chinese).
And now let's get back to our teachers.
Thank you, Michelle.
Earlier we were talking about gardening and moving plants from inside in pots to
outside, and you can put those potted plants in your backyard.
Now a backyard is something that is usually an area behind a house that has a
fence around it.
But there is also an idiom that uses the word backyard.
Well, I know that one: in your backyard.
That sounds like just a normal phrase.
But if you use it as an idiom, it doesn't actually mean your backyard.
It means your neighborhood or the area around where you live.
So you could say: I'm really happy that the new police station is in my
backyard. I feel very safe.
So the police station is near my house.
It's not in my yard, but it is in my neighborhood.
Or if you don't want something to happen in your neighborhood, you could say:
Not in my backyard.
So if the city wanted to build a new garbage dump near your house, you could
say: Not in my backyard.
I think I might say that.
I wouldn't want trash being dumped in my neighborhood.
Well, me neither.
But back to gardening, we see an interesting idiom here: green thumb.
Carolyn, do you know anyone who has a green thumb?
Actually, Gabe, several people in my family do.
My mom definitely has a green thumb.
She has plants everywhere, inside the house, in the backyard, in the front yard.
And now that I don't live with my parents, she turned my room into an arboretum.
Really?! So your room is filled with trees?
Well, maybe not quite an arboretum, but it is filled with plants.
All of my book shelves are covered with different kinds of plants, and there's
not a lot of room to walk around because of the large potted plants.
Wow! It does sound like your mom has a green thumb.
Does anyone else you know have a green thumb?
Yes, I do.
I know lots of people with green thumbs.
But right now it is time for us to talk to Steve and Ken in the Information
Cloud.
They want to tell us some more about patron saints.
Over the course of 2,000 years, the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches
have officially recognized around 2- to 3,000 people as saints.
It's believed by many that these saints, wherever they are in the afterworld,
have a supernatural ability to assist those who venerate them.
It's also thought that saints have a special area of focus - that is each
advocates for a specific nation, occupation, culture or activity.
In this way, they're called patron saints.
Saint Patrick, for example, is a patron saint of Ireland.
As such, Irish people will appeal to him for the peace and protection of
Ireland.
Now just about every possible profession has its own patron saints, too.
For hospital workers, it's Saint Jude.
Saint Peter? He's the patron saint of fishermen and sailors.
There are saints that specialize in helping people with specific illnesses,
difficult marriages, lost keys.
In fact, there's probably a patron saint for any and every situation in life.
The practice of seeking help from spirit advocates exists in many, if not most,
religions, including Hinduism and Chinese folk religion.
There are other religions, however, that discourage it, calling it a form of
idolatry.
(Chinese).
Thank you, gentlemen.
You know, I do wonder if there is a patron saint for being late. Hmm.
Anyway, today is Saint Patrick's Day, and people in Chicago are celebrating by
dying the river green.
What?! The river is dying?
Why are they trying to kill the driver on Saint Patrick's Day?
That doesn't seem like a very nice thing to do.
No, Carolyn, dye, D-Y-E, not die, D-I-E.
Oh, good. Well, why don't you tell us what the difference is, Gabe.
Certainly.
If you dye something, D-Y-E something, that means you use something to change
its color.
So for example, lots of people like to dye their hair.
Dye is also a transitive verb, so it must have an object.
You dye something.
Ah, yes. So the other word, D-I-E, means that something is no longer alive.
And this word is an intransitive verb, so it does not have an object. Something
dies.
Right. So the river in Chicago isn't dying, it's being dyed.
And the color is green.
It's a wonderful thing to see.
So if you ever plan a trip to Chicago, try to go there for Saint Patrick's Day.
You won't be disappointed.
Yes. That city really loves celebrating Saint Patrick's Day.
Well, if you have missed any part of our lesson today, now is the time for you
to review.
Let's join Linda for the Editor's Summary.
Pauline is telling us about what springtime is like in America.
People go to supermarkets and megastores to buy seeds, plants bulbs, tools and
fertilizer for gardening.
It is very popular in the States.
There are flowers in the front yards and vegetables in the backyards.
Pauline's neighbors always share their veggies with her because she doesn't have
a green thumb.
And of course March 17 is Saint Patrick's Day when the Irish celebrate.
People wear green there.
There are parades, and some cities even dye their rivers green - all for fun.
Thank you, Linda.
We've had a great lesson today.
Spring is a wonderful time of year when nature returns to life after the cold
winter.
There are so many great activities that we can enjoy during the spring, like
gardening.
Many people also clean out their houses.
There are many other things that people do during spring and many other holidays
that are celebrated.
So be sure to join us again tomorrow as we continue this lesson...
... Right here on Studio Classroom.
We'll see you then.