节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-03-18
难易度:Low
关键字:Christian, outdoor, lawn, intensely, Good Friday, the White House
(Music).
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
Today we are continuing our LIFE IN AMERICA lesson: Spring Is in the Air.
Yesterday we talked about the arrival of springtime and gardening.
We also learned a little about patron saints yesterday because yesterday was
Saint Patrick's Day.
And today we're going to start our lesson by learning about another spring
holiday - Easter.
So open up your magazine and let's begin.
(Music).
Spring Is in the Air.
Lilies, chocolate bunnies and colored eggs can be found everywhere around
Easter, a significant Christian holiday.
It celebrates the time Jesus, God's son, rose from the dead.
Many churches also have Good Friday services with prayer and singing to remember
Jesus' death.
According to the Bible, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after he was
killed.
Some churches have outdoor sunrise church services on Easter Sunday.
(Chinese).
Thank you, Michelle.
Now before we get too far into our lesson today, I want to look at that word
lily.
I've always thought this word looked a little strange because of the way it's
spelled.
Hmm, well, I guess it does look a little odd because if you aren't careful, it
can look like there are three Ls in a row.
Now something interesting about the word "lily" is that it is spelled
differently depending on if you are talking about a flower or talking about a
girl's name.
So if you are talking about the flower, it is spelled L-I-L-Y.
But if it is a girl's name, it is spelled L-I-L-L-Y.
Oh, very interesting.
OK. Well, lily or Lilly.
All right, are you talking about the flower or the girl's name?
You know, I always thought this was confusing because I knew a girl with the
name Lilly.
Oh. Did you try to spell her name L-I-L-Y?
No. I wanted to spell the flower L-I-L-L-Y.
So I was a bit confused and frustrated until I learned that there were actually
different spellings for the flower and the girl's name.
Ah, yes. That can be confusing.
That's why it's important to keep learning.
And if you don't understand something, try to find the answer.
Well, lilies are common flowers that you see in the spring, and it's a nice name
to give a girl especially if she is born in the spring.
This is true. And I was born in the spring but my parents did not name me Lilly.
Well, that's too bad.
If they had, you could have been named Lilly Bugg.
That's a cute name.
Well, I'm glad they named me Carolyn.
Anyway, in this section we learn all about Easter, which is a significant
Christian holiday.
And this year, Easter is on my birthday.
Whoa! That's great.
Yes, Easter is on a different date each year because the date of Easter is
decided... according to the Jewish calendar, which is also a lunar calendar.
That means it is based on the moon instead of the sun.
Well, you're really lucky, you can celebrate Easter on your birthday.
They're on the same day.
I know. I love Easter.
It doesn't happen very often, but sometimes my birthday and Easter share the
same day.
And while the date of Easter changes each year, Easter is always on a Sunday.
And it is a very important Christian holiday.
It sure is.
And what Christians remember at Easter is what makes Christianity so different
from other religions.
That's right.
This is when Christians remember the day when Jesus, the son of God, rose from
the dead.
Now that might sound a little odd, so let's look at the phrase: rise from the
dead.
What does that mean, Gabe?
Well, if something or someone rises from the dead, that means that they died,
but then they came back to life.
Sometimes we see things rise from the dead in horror movies.
But actually, according to the Bible, people rising from the dead isn't a scary
thing.
It's a miracle. It's a really wonderful thing.
Yes. If you read the Bible, raising people from the dead or bringing dead people
back to life was just one of many miracles performed by Jesus Christ while He
was on Earth.
And He was able to perform those miracles because He was the son of God.
And not only did God give Him the power to raise people from the dead, but after
Jesus died, Jesus Himself also rose from the dead.
Now earlier we mentioned that Easter is always on a Sunday.
That's because Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday.
There is also another holiday that Christians celebrate at this time of year
that his always on the same day of the week.
And that day is called Good Friday.
This is always on the Friday before Easter.
Now this is also a very special day because this is the day that Jesus died.
Hmm. Hey, Carolyn, why is it called Good Friday?
How can Jesus' death be a good thing?
Good question, Gabe.
Actually, Jesus' death was very important.
Christians believe that Jesus' death paid the price for their sins.
People used to sacrifice animals to show God they were sorry for bad things they
did.
But Jesus was the final sacrifice.
So Christians believe that if you accept Jesus and believe that he died for your
sins, you can have a relationship with God and be with Him in heaven.
So yes, for Christians, Jesus' death was a good thing.
But dying wasn't enough.
He also had to rise from the dead, which the Bible says He did.
Now many churches have Good Friday services with prayer and singing to remember
Jesus' death.
And that is a great sentence from our lesson that Liz wants to tell us more
about in the Grammar Gym.
Hello there, friends.
Thanks for joining me here at the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
Here's today's Grammar Tip sentence:
Many churches also have Good Friday services with prayer and singing to remember
Jesus' death.
Notice the sentence pattern.
It's very easy and very useful.
And here it is:
[Subject] has something with a certain quality to do something in particular.
Use this pattern when you want to not only describe what subject has but also
explain what a certain quality or characteristic is for.
In the case of today's sentence, many churches have Good Friday services.
And at a Good Friday service, you'll find praying and singing all for the
purpose of remembering Jesus' death.
OK, let's have a look at some example sentences.
Many public restrooms have special rooms with changing stations to make it
easier for parents to change their babies' diapers.
Or: This backpack has a special section inside with waterproof lining to keep
your belongings dry.
So friends, there you have it.
If you want to see some more example sentences, they're available in today's
Grammar Tip section in your magazine.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Thank you so much, Liz.
Well, that is a very helpful sentence pattern to know.
Try using it today.
Now back to our article, we read that some churches have outdoor sunrise church
services.
This is an interesting idea.
Yes, it is.
Usually church services are held inside.
But some churches like to have an outdoor service on Easter Sunday.
Oh, not only is it outside but it's very early in the morning - sunrise!
This is because, according to the Bible, women went to the place that Jesus'
body was laid very early in the morning.
But when they looked inside, He was gone.
And there was an angel that spoke to them and told them that Jesus had risen
from the dead.
Wow, that's really amazing.
No wonder people would get up very early on Sunday morning to celebrate this
wonderful event.
Actually, Carolyn, do you know anyone that has been to a sunrise church service?
Actually, Gabe, my dad usually goes to the sunrise church service.
He is used to getting up very early for work, so it's not hard for him to go to
this service.
And afterwards, he usually comes home and makes a big breakfast for everyone.
That sounds like a great way to celebrate Easter: watching the sunrise as you
celebrate Jesus rising from the dead and then eating lots of food.
Ah, yes, most holidays do involve a lot of food.
I've also been to the sunrise service a few times.
I don't go every year, but when I have gone, it was always a wonderful
experience.
Have you or anyone you know been to a sunrise service?
You know, I know many people that do go to sunrise services, but me personally,
I think it's kind of early to get up that... that early and go to a sunrise
service.
But I do want to try at least once in my lifetime.
Oh. Well, that's good, Gabe.
Maybe you can go on my birthday.
Yes! Well, but right now it is time for us to take a little break.
And we will continue learning with our lesson afterthis.