节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-03-27
难易度:Low
关键字:jungle, budget, capital, exhibit, colonialism, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Hello, everyone.
My name is Gabe.
And my name is Carolyn.
Welcome to Studio Classroom.
Today we have a great TRAVEL article to discuss.
That's right.
We will be traveling to Sri Lanka.
Well, we won't actually go there, but we will talk about some of the great
things that make up this island.
Then don't delay.
Open up your magazine to the first day of the article Sri Lanka, and let's
begin.
(Music).
Sri Lanka.
This South Asian island offers endless possibilities.
Picture a beautiful island.
Jungle covers its mountains and valleys.
White sandy beaches stretch for miles along a blue ocean.
Thousands of years of history lie within the island's cities and towns.
Many parts aren't crowded; visitors are welcomed with a smile.
Are you on a budget?
This is the perfect place for you.
Are you looking for a luxury vacation?
This island is perfect for you, too!
So pack your bags - you're headed to Sri Lanka!
(Music).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
Thank you, Michelle.
At the very beginning of our lesson we learned that Sri Lanka is a South Asian
island.
I think that many people might not know where Sri Lanka is on the globe, but it
is a small island located off the southern tip of India.
And we learned in our article that this island offers endless possibilities.
Let's look at that phrase.
What does it mean if something has endless possibilities?
Good question.
That means that there is no limit to the things that can be done.
For example, there are endless possibilities for people who are responsible and
hardworking.
You could also say that the possibilities are endless.
Yes, I think I hear that phrase a lot.
For example, earlier this month we learned about solar-powered buildings.
You could say the possibilities are endless for solar-power technology.
That means that there are still a lot of great things that can be done with
solar-power technology.
And if you visit Sri Lanka, the possibilities are endless for the things that
you can experience.
So let's start learning about this island.
Our author begins the lesson by setting the scene.
If you set the scene, that means that you describe a situation where something
is going to happen.
This is a fun idiom to use.
You could say before the play began, the director set the scene with happy
music.
So you knew that you were going to watch something happy or fun.
You could also say the politician began to set the scene for his election two
years ago.
So he has been preparing for his election for two years, and all of his
preparations will make it likely that he will win.
Our author is setting the scene for a perfect vacation.
She tells us to picture or imagine a beautiful island.
Check.
I am imagining a beautiful island.
Great. Great job, Gabe.
Now picture jungle covering mountains and valleys on this island.
Check. I see lots of tropical and jungle forests all over the island.
Good, good.
Now imagine white sandy beaches that reach out into beautiful blue water.
Check. Wow! This really is turning into a great scene in my head, Carolyn.
I would love to go here for a vacation.
Me, too.
And the place you were just picturing actually exists, Gabe.
It is the island of Sri Lanka.
Now as you were imagining this beautiful island, you kept repeating a word,
Gabe.
Well, yes. Each time you told me to picture something, I said "Check" after I
had the image in my mind.
If you check something, that means you have finished or completed it.
Many times you might hear check off or check something off.
If you have a list of things to do, you can check each item off after you finish
it.
For example, I checked skydiving off my list of adventures.
That means that I went skydiving.
I would love to check skydiving off my list.
Well, maybe you can do that one day, Gabe.
Now if you are going on vacation, you might have a list of things you want to
pack.
As you put each item in your suitcase, you can check it off.
Or if someone is helping you pack, and they asked if you packed your toothbrush,
you could say: Check.
That means that it is already packed.
Right. Well, I hope that your bags are packed.
And let's look at that phrase: pack your bags.
This is a simple phrase that just means that you should pack your luggage and
get ready to go on a trip.
And if your bags are packed, that means that you are done packing, and you are
ready to leave.
Here are some ways to use these phrases.
Parents might surprise their kids with a vacation and tell them:
Pack your bags! We're going to Disney World.
That would be a great surprise.
So the kids should hurry and get their things packed for a trip to Disney World.
You could also say:
After hours of packing and repacking, her bags were packed, and she was ready to
start her year as an exchange student in America.
That would be a great opportunity.
And if you enjoy going to beautiful tropical islands with mountains covered in
jungles and beautiful white beaches with blue water,
you should pack your bags and head to Sri Lanka.
Or maybe your bags are already packed; at least they might be by the time we
finish our three-day lesson on Sri Lanka.
Now Sri Lanka has a very rich history that dates back thousands of years.
Places that have locations with special historical value are sometimes protected
and given a special name: UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
We'll learn a little bit about Sri Lanka's World Heritage Sites later.
But let's join Steve and Ken now for an introduction to UNESCO World Heritage
Sites in the Information Cloud.
Right now there are over 980 UNESCO World Heritage Sites gathered around the
world.
And Sri Lanka has eight of them.
So how does a country get a site included on this prestigious list?
Like a politician in a political election, it first must be nominated.
Once nominated, the site, just like the politician, undergoes some serious
scrutiny.
Tough questions are asked like: Does the site have outstanding universal value?
Right. The proposed site also needs to meet one of 10 criteria.
These criteria are somewhat lengthy but can be pretty much summarized as
follows:
Is this site exceptional, either naturally, think Great Barrier Reef, or
culturally, like the Statue of Liberty?
Next question:
Can the country where the site is located effectively protect and manage the
site?
Now this is important.
UNESCO sites will be taken off the list if a country can't meet or continue to
meet this requirement.
It's unusual, but it has happened.
So if the answer to these three questions is yes, then the site has a good
chance of being voted onto the list.
Right now, Italy has the most UNESCO sites, followed by China, Spain and then
France.