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
Today we are journeying to the island of Sri Lanka, just off the southern tip of
Indiana.
This is the perfect place to go if you enjoy white sandy beaches, blue ocean and
jungle-covered mountains.
So pack your bags and let's continue with the next section of our reading and
learn about all of the great things to see on this island.
(Music).
Sri Lanka.
See.
Colonialism played a big part in Sri Lanka's history.
The Portuguese, Dutch and British ruled in turn from 1505 until 1948.
You can see signs of colonial times in the centuries-old churches and other old
buildings.
Sri Lanka is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, like the Ancient City of
Sigiriya.
All are worth exploring!
Be sure to visit Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital.
Go to the National Museum.
There you'll see lots of exhibits that tell Sri Lanka's story.
All right.
(Chinese).
And now let's go to our teachers.
Thank you, Michelle.
Well, there is certainly a lot to see in Sri Lanka.
We start off by learning a little bit about Sri Lanka's history.
Yes. We see that colonialism played a big part.
Let's look at that phrase: to play a part in.
What does this mean, Gabe?
If something plays a part in something else, that means it is very important to
whatever happened.
For example, the bad economy played a part in the unhappiness of the country.
That means that one of the major reasons people were unhappy was because the
economy was not good.
You could also say the great price on plane tickets played a big part in my
decision to go to Singapore.
So because I could get a good price on tickets to Singapore, I decided to go
there.
And that could certainly play a part in where you decide to go on vacation.
Well, colonialism played a part in Sri Lanka's history.
They were colonized by the Portuguese, Dutch and British.
Each of these nations ruled the island in turn.
And those are two words that we want to look at with Liz in the Grammar Gym.
Let's join her now.
Hello, friends.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
Here's today's Grammar Tip sentence from today's article:
The Portuguese, Dutch and British ruled in turn from 1505 until 1948.
Our focus today is on the phrase: in turn.
It means one at a time or one after the other.
In other words, the writer is saying that first it was the Portuguese, then the
Dutch, and then the British ruled from 1505 until 1948.
So when you want to mention how something is done one by one, consider using "in
turn.".
For example: The police questioned the witnesses in turn.
Or: Before saying yes to the landlord of the apartment, Thomas walked through
each room in turn to make sure everything is okay.
So give this phrase a try.
Think of something that is done one at a time or one by one, and practice using
this phrase.
If you'd like to see some more example sentences, please take a look at today's
Grammar Tip section for more example sentences.
That's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Thank you, Liz.
So Sri Lanka was ruled in turn by several other nations.
This can be seen very clearly if you look at the centuries-old churches and
other buildings.
That's right.
And let's look at that adjective: centuries-old.
You see a hyphen there between these two words.
We often see hyphenated adjectives that help to give an even clearer picture of
what the noun looks like.
So if something is centuries-old, that means that it has been around for
hundreds of years.
One century is 100 years, so centuries would be hundreds of years.
But saying centuries-old is easier than saying hundreds of years old.
And Sri Lanka has many churches and other buildings that are centuries-old.
And thanks to their rich history, Sri Lanka is also home to eight UNESCO World
Heritage Sites.
OK. UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization.
And as we learned with Steve and Ken, part of their job is to select places
around the world that are not only important to that area's culture but are a
value to the world.
As of December, 2013, there were 981 UNESCO properties on the list.
Now some of these places are natural while others are cultural.
Sri Lanka has two natural sites and six cultural sites.
The natural sites are the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, which was established in
1988 as a World Heritage Site.
And Sri Lanka's most recent World Heritage Site, the Central Highlands of Sri
Lanka, which was established in 2010.
The Central Highlands include areas of tropical rain forests that are home to
several endangered species of animals, including the Sri Lankan leopard.
Now there are six cultural sites that you can also visit, like the one mentioned
in our lesson.
The Ancient City of Sigiriya.
Now this was one of the first places in Sri Lanka to become a World Heritage
Site.
This was once the capital city and was built in the 5th century A.D.
Here you can see the lions rock or lion mountain, which is a giant rock sticking
out of the ground and is surrounded by jungle on all sides.
You can also explore this ancient capital city as many of the buildings are
still standing.
Well, this sounds like it would be a great adventure.
This ancient city would certainly be worth exploring.
Another World Heritage Site worth exploring is the Old Town of Galle and its
Fortifications.
Earlier we learned that for much of Sri Lanka's recent history, it was colonized
by Europeans.
The Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications is just one example of this
history.
So this city was founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
The buildings here are great examples of European and Asian architecture of the
time and how the climate of Sri Lanka influenced European building styles.
Wow. There is so much wonderful history to learn at this site.
Now you may have noticed a long word in the name of the site: fortification.
Gabe, what is a fortification?
I'm glad you asked.
A fortification is a strong building, a tower or wall, that is used to protect
or defend a place.
Since the name of the site is the Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications, we
know that there is more than just one fortification.
Right. It is plural.
So they built many things to help protect this city, like high walls and towers,
to defend the city from attacks.
The Old Town of Galle was actually ruled by several different countries.
Yes. It started out as a Portuguese city, but was later controlled by the Dutch.
The Dutch fortified this city even more, and after a while, even built a church
for the people living there.
However, the Dutch did not maintain control, and the British eventually took
over after 150 years of Dutch rule.
So the Dutch were able to control the area for more than 150 years after taking
it from the Portuguese, but then the British gained control in 1796.
And the British made their own changes to the city.
Wow. Sri Lanka really does have a lot of colonial history.
And there's a lot more to learn about Sri Lankan story.
There sure is.
And if you've missed any of today's lesson, don't worry.
It's time for us to join Linda for the Editor's Summary.
On our first day of learning about Sri Lanka, we find that there are jungles,
beaches and thousands of years of history waiting for its visitors.
And whatever kind of vacation you're looking for, luxury or budget, can be found
there.
Centuries-old churches and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites are all worth
visiting.
And to find out about Sri Lanka's history, visit the National Museum in Colombo,
Sri Lanka's capital.
Thank you, Linda.
Well, Sri Lanka is a beautiful island filled with lots of things to see.
And that's what we learned about today, the things you can see.
But that's not all Sri Lanka has to offer.
I think you're right about that, Carolyn.
So, be sure to join us again tomorrow to learn more about the things that you
can do and eat on this South Asian island.
We'll see you then right here on Studio Classroom.
See you then.