节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-01-16
难易度:High
关键字:inspirational, villain, assert, obsess
Well, we're having fun learning all about Benedict Cumberbatch,
an actor with no inspirational background but who has made many inspirational
and daring choices.
The first choice we read about is for range - that is a variety of roles, both
the good guy and bad guy.
He has also chosen to learn how to play violin for a TV character Sherlock.
That's no easy task.
He challenges himself at every turn.
Now what does he think about fame?
Let's read on and find out.
And then we'll spend some time with Michelle in the Language Lab.
Here we go.
(Music).
Benedict Cumberbatch.
However, when it comes to an obsessed fan tweeting his every move in his
apartment, he's at a loss.
And who wouldn't be?
"Fame is a weird one," he says.
"People see a value in you that you don't see yourself.".
It must be all the weirder for an actor like Cumberbatch, now 37, who worked for
many years without instant recognition in public.
With his experience, he knows as well as anyone that success is very possible
without it.
OK.
(Chinese).
And now it's time to hear from our teachers.
Thank you, Michelle.
Of course before the break we learned about how this amazing actor loves
challenging himself.
Now we see his unique thoughts on the idea of being famous.
And we start out with the downside of being famous.
Famous people will have fans, and sometimes those fans will become too obsessed.
If you're obsessed, that means you think about something way too much.
You could be thinking about something in a positive way or a negative way, but
it's way too much.
Some people are obsessed with the way they look.
They spend lots of time and money making sure they look perfect.
Sometimes people become obsessed with making money.
No matter how much they have, it's never enough.
Are you obsessed?
Are you obsessed with anything?
Hmm, that's a good question to ask.
Well, I think the author of this article chose the perfect word to describe this
fan who spends his or her time tweeting his every move.
Obsessed is right.
I read a little more about this, and Cumberbatch's response actually made me
respect him more.
He thought about calling the police but instead resolved the problem with that
fan, and he wants to protect the fan's identity.
He never even revealed if the fan was a guy or a girl.
Wow! Well, we read in our lesson that he was at a loss.
That means he had no idea what to do in response or he didn't know what to say.
The full phrase could be:
He was at a loss for words.
Are you ever at a loss for words?
You're not sure what you should say or if you should even say something in a
certain situation.
Yeah. Sometimes I'm at a loss for words when I look at certain pieces of art.
They're so incredible and beautiful, I'm just not sure what to say.
I think another word for this is speechless.
If you're at a loss for words, you could say you're speechless.
And Benedict Cumberbatch seems a little speechless when it comes to this
obsessed fan.
Well, that's a great phrase: when it comes to something.
I think Liz is waiting for us in the Grammar Gym.
She's ready to explain this to us.
Hello, friends.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
In today's article we see this sentence:
However, when it comes to an obsessed fan tweeting his every move in his
apartment, he's at a loss.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Our focus is on the phrase: when it comes to.
Basically, it just means regarding or when the situation involves.
So today's sentence just means when it involves an obsessed fan tweeting his
every move in his apartment, he's at a loss.
This phrase "when it comes to" is often used to talk about how things are when
there is a specific situation or when we're focusing on a specific subject.
For example, let's say Sunny usually watches what she eats but has no self
control whenever there is ice cream.
So we can say:
Sunny is usually careful with her diet, but when it comes to ice cream, she
loses self control.
Or let's say Henry always puts his family first, even before his work.
So we can say:
When it comes to choosing between his family or his work, Henry always puts his
family first.
If you'd like to see some more example sentences, they're available in today's
Grammar Tip section in your magazine.
That's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Bye.
Thank you, Liz.
Well, Cumberbatch says that fame is a weird one.
A weird what? A weird word?
No, Gabe. Good question, though.
He means it's a weird idea.
Sometimes we just say "one" when talking about something.
For instance, do you know the comedian Bill Cosby?
He's a funny one.
He is a funny one.
So since Bill Cosby is a person, I know what Carolyn means by "he's a funny
one." He's a funny person.
But since fame is an idea, then I know that Cumberbatch means fame is a funny
idea.
Fame is a funny one.
And I think it's time for Steve and Ken to share something with us in the
Information Cloud.
They're such informative ones.
I think many of us, at one time or another, have dreamt of being famous.
Wouldn't it be great people recognizing you on the street, asking for your
autograph, taking your picture...
Not so fast, Ken.
There's a big price to pay for being famous - loss of privacy.
Now what did we just learn about Benedict Cumberbatch?
He's got some crazy stranger looking in his apartment windows, spying on his
every move and then reporting it to the world!
That would stink.
True.
And then there are the paparazzi, the photographers who follow celebrities
around and take pictures.
They then sell those pictures to magazines and newspapers for big money.
Now I'm guessing most famous people don't really like the paparazzi.
After all, they're an annoyance like buzzing mosquitoes that keep flying around
your head.
They just won't go away.
But at the same time, what celebrity doesn't like having his or her picture
taken and all the publicity that goes with it, it's a weird love-and-hate
relationship.
Indeed it is, Ken.
You know the word paparazzi is just over 50 years old.
And it comes from a film by the great Italian director Federico Fellini called
La Dolce Vita.
It's used as a collective noun referring to all the celebrity-chasing
photographers.
The singular form is paparazzo.
(Chinese).
Thanks, guys.
Well, I'm not sure how much Cumberbatch likes the paparazzi, but fame is a weird
one for him.
We read: It must be all the weirder for an actor like Cumberbatch, now 37, who
worked for many years without instant recognition in public.
"It is all the weirder." What an odd phrase!
What does that mean?
Well, it means it must be much weirder for Cumberbatch.
But you can simply say "all the weirder." If you want to express how much more
of an adjective something is, you can use this phrase.
For example, I love Radiohead.
Radiohead is an awesome band to listen to anytime, but it's all the more awesome
to see them live in concert.
Or it's already hard to do one job; it must be all... you must be all the more
stressed with two.
Try using this phrase in English today.
Well, fame must be all the weirder for Cumberbatch who spent most of his time or
most of his professional life not being world-famous.
That's right.
And I think this next line is something that everyone who wants to become a
famous person should keep in mind.
It reads: With his experience, he knows as well as anyone that success is very
possible without it.
Success is possible without fame.
Do you hear that?
Just do what you like to do.
Do what you're good at and work hard at whatever you do.
That's right.
And don't just do it for the sake of becoming famous.
Now I like another phrase in that sentence: he knows as well as anyone about
something.
That means if anyone else in the world knows this fact, then he also knows it.
He knows it by experience.
Can you use this phrase, Gabe?
Yeah. I think our boss understands as well as anyone that you don't need to be
married to have a happy and purposeful life.
Of course people can say it, but she has experienced it.
She knows as well as anyone.
Well, this is a really great reminder that you can have success without fame.
And right now it's time for us to join Linda for our Editor's Summary.
Whether playing a villain or a hero, Benedict Cumberbatch has proven himself to
be a very capable and talented actor.
He worked for years with public recognition, so he knows that that is not what
success is about.
Thank you, Linda.
Well, we have looked at one of Benedict Cumberbatch's choices today - his choice
for range, not renown.
That's right.
And we have a lot more... more to learn tomorrow right here on Studio Classroom.
So we'll see you then.