节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-01-03
难易度:Low
关键字:fantasy, fireplace, messy, shovel, wonderland, subtropical
Walking in the winter wonderland.
Today we're learning about what winter is really like.
When you live in a place that doesn't have snow, it's easy to imagine a
beautiful winter wonderland.
Families sit around a fire, drinking hot chocolate.
Children build snowmen, and everyone enjoys the beautiful snow as it gently
falls to the ground.
However, as the author of our article learns, snow can be really messy.
Let's continue learning more about experiencing a snowy winter with the next
part of the reading.
Then we'll join Michelle in the Language Lab.
(Music).
Winter Wonderland.
I can understand why kids love snow.
They get two hours, a half day or a whole day off from school.
Then the playtime begins.
The kids build snowmen, slide down hills on snowboards or have snowball fights.
For adults, it is not that much fun.
Most cities and communities have snowplows to remove the snow from the streets.
They also spread salt mixed with sand to prevent ice on sidewalks and roadways.
But cleaning our own driveway is such a bother.
We have to shovel off the snow ourselves.
If we don't, the icy surface can be dangerous.
(Chinese).
And now let's get back to our lesson.
Thank you, Michelle.
Well, people have different reactions to snow.
Some people love snow while others think it is just a lot of trouble.
That's because it affects people very differently.
As we see in the article, kids have a lot of fun when it snows, but it can mean
a lot of extra work for adults.
Well, for children, snow can mean getting time off from school.
So our author can understand why kids love snow.
That's a great way to present an argument, Gabe.
I can understand why.
It shows that you recognize that one part of something is true, but you still
don't agree with the main idea.
That's right.
For example, you could say: I can understand why you like to go skiing, but I
don't enjoy it.
Another example is: I can understand why you want to build a snowman, but
there's not enough snow.
Building snowmen is a lot of fun, but it's just not possible with so little
snow.
Well, Pauline understands why kids like snow, and she gives several reasons.
The first is getting time off from school.
Depending on the amount of snow, they could have anywhere from two hours to a
whole day off.
Carolyn, did you ever have snow days when you were in school?
Yes. It was so fun.
Oh, I remember when I had four snow days in a row because there was so much
snow.
Whoa, four snow days!
That is a lot of snow.
What did you guys do for four days?
Well, my brother and two sisters and I played in the snow, made snowmen, made
snow angels, ate the snow...
Whoa... hold on a second. You can eat snow?
Well, the snow was pretty clean when I was younger, so, sure.
But now there's too much air pollution to really safely eat snow.
Hmm. Well, that is too bad.
Eating snow kind of sounds like fun.
It was!
We... we would add things like soda to the snow, and we would make our own snowy
drinks.
You know, it sounds like living in a place with snow is actually, uh, pretty
cool.
Well, yes. Cool, Gabe.
It's very cold, in fact.
And it can be a lot of fun.
But snow days weren't much fun for my parents.
Snow days meant that someone had to stay home from work to watch me and my
brother and my sisters because we didn't have to go to school.
Hmm, that's right.
You know, most offices don't have snow days, so adults still need to go to work.
And that can also be dangerous if the roads are covered in snow and ice.
Hey, how do people drive on snowy roads?
Well, driving on snow means that you need special tires on your car so you don't
slide on the road.
OK.
But most people don't actually drive on top of the snow because it's dangerous,
and snow tires are expensive.
Hmm, I see.
So that's why they clean the roads.
As we learned in the article, most places have snowplows, which are special
trucks that clear off the road from... or clear the snow off of the road.
That's right.
And then people put sand and salt on the roads and sidewalks to prevent ice from
forming or to get rid of the ice that's there.
That's right.
So now you may be wondering why salt and sand are used to fight off ice.
In fact, it's quite interesting.
You're right.
Salt can help lower the freezing temperature of water, which causes the ice to
melt if it's not too cold outside.
So long as the temperature is above negative 18 degrees Celsius, the ice will
melt.
Cool.
Well, sand is useful, too, because it prevents things from sliding on the ice by
making the surface rough.
So using a combination of salt and sand is actually very helpful in these winter
conditions.
I'm glad they have people who can keep the roads save during snowy weather.
Well, I am, too.
But if you have a driveway or a smaller road, you might have to clean it
yourself.
This can be quite a big challenge because snow is not very easy to move, and
buying sand and salt can actually get quite expensive.
You are right. And it can be a big challenge to move snow.
My brother was usually in charge of shoveling the snow off of the sidewalk in
front of our house.
It was a lot of work.
You needed to shovel the snow yourselves.
And that word brings us to our Grammar Tip today.
Should we say "ourselves" or "by ourselves"?
Let's see what Liz has to say about that in the Grammar Gym.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym, friends.
My name is Liz.
In today's article, the writer mentions:
We have to shovel off the snow ourselves.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Notice the word at the end of the sentence: ourselves.
In English we call this a reflexive pronoun.
You probably know what reflexive pronouns are:
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves and
themselves.
Now in today's sentence, the writer could say: by ourselves.
However, simply saying "ourselves" is to show emphasis that the writer and her
family have to shovel off the snow with no one else to help them.
If you want to add emphasis and show that the subject alone and nothing or no
one else is involved, then consider using a reflexive pronoun.
For example: Since no one is around to help me, I will do this myself.
Or: The boss signed every Christmas card himself.
Or: Students in this internship program have to take care of every detail
themselves.
If you'd like to see some more example sentences, then check out today's Grammar
Tip section in your magazine.
That's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Thank you so much, Liz.
Well, we've learned a lot today about snow and how it affects people
differently.
So let's review today's lesson with the summary from our editor Linda.
People have fantasies about places they have never been to.
They may be correct or they may be wrong or they may be a combination.
So it is understandable that Pauline's family had a fantasy about snow and what
life was like when it snowed.
Their fantasy was probably half true.
Kids love snow days when there is no school, and they can go outside and play.
But for adults, it is a lot of work to keep the roads, sidewalks and one's own
driveway clear of snow.
Thank you, Linda.
Well, now that we know what living in a winter wonderland is really like,
Carolyn, what was your favorite part about winter?
Well, that changed as I got older.
When I was really little, I loved playing in the snow.
It was so much fun to put on my snow clothes and go outside to enjoy the
beautiful white snow.
Uh, but?
Well, as I got older, I had to help my brother shovel the snow.
But that was OK, too, because our neighbors would pay us for helping them shovel
the snow off their sidewalks.
Hey, so you could enjoy the snow, get some exercise, help your neighbors, and
even make a little bit of money.
That sounds like great.
Snow sounds great.
Was there anything that you didn't like?
Uh, driving in snow.
It can be very dangerous.
So learning how to drive in bad weather is important.
It's also really inconvenient if you need to go somewhere when there's a
snowstorm.
If it's snowing really hard, you may have to cancel your plans.
Well, keep that in mind.
If you ever travel to a snowy place, make sure you know how to get around, use
good judgment and stay safe.
Great advice.
We still have a lot to learn tomorrow.
So we'll see you right here on Studio Classroom.
See you then.