节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-01-18
难易度:High
关键字:destructive, inconsistent, theatrical, plunge, rugby, gap year
(Music).
Hello, everyone.
My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
And welcome to Studio Classroom.
Today we're on our last day of the lesson about an amazing actor - Benedict
Cumberbatch.
We have been focusing on a lot of the choices he has made that have really
influenced his life for the better.
And today we will look at two more of his choices: choosing focus and choosing
fulfillment.
So open up your magazine and find the lesson called Benedict Cumberbatch.
And let's get started.
Then, of course, we'll visit Michelle in the Language Lab.
(Music).
Benedict Cumberbatch.
Choosing focus.
Cumberbatch admits to a lack of concentration during much of his schooling.
"I was always performing, doing silly voices.
The teachers realized I could go one of two ways: be creative or destructive."
As it ended up,
Cumberbatch went both ways, being creative on stage and destructive on the rugby
field.
No one was surprised that he took to acting, his parents being professional
actors themselves, though they warned him of inconsistent work.
Cumberbatch considered studying law, which his parents encouraged, but took a
gap year and taught English in Tibet first.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
Thanks, Michelle.
So let's choose to focus on this first section.
We have a lot to learn from Benedict Cumberbatch's story.
The first thing we see here is that he admits to a lack of concentration during
much of his schooling.
Well, I can relate to that.
Really, Gabe?
Yeah! Some people don't learn the best in a classroom setting.
They learn by doing things.
I had a hard time concentrating, too.
I had a lack of concentration.
Ah. Well, I think we should take a look at that phrase: a lack of something.
If you have a lack of something, that means you need it but you don't have it.
For example, many people in many countries have a lack of water and food.
That is true.
Or maybe you have a lack of knowledge on a certain subject.
You could also say you lack the knowledge you need.
So this word can be a verb, too.
What do you lack?
Well, maybe you lack the knowledge of Benedict Cumberbatch before, but we're
helping to solve that problem.
That's right.
We're all learning more about this guy so we don't have a lack of information.
But I like another phrase in that sentence, too: to admit to something.
That means you are saying something that maybe is not comfortable to say.
You don't want to say it at first, but you admit it after a while.
And maybe Cumberbatch realizes that a lack of concentration sounds bad, so
that's why our author uses this word "admit" to talk about it.
Well, how else can you use this word?
Someone stole a cookie from the cookie jar.
Who did it? Who will admit to stealing that cookie?
Nice, Gabe.
Or I admit to spending too much money on myself while on vacation.
Or Mike admits to having feelings for a girl in his class.
Ooh... Well, what kinds of things do you admit to?
Cumberbatch was not good at concentrating during a lot of his schooling.
What does schooling mean here?
Well, all of it, any kind of schooling, kindergarten up through getting his
master's, maybe.
Schooling could include all of it.
Well, why did he have a lack of concentration?
He says, "I was always doing silly voices." That's pretty funny.
I'm sure he wasn't the only one who couldn't concentrate.
If my classmate was always doing silly voices beside me, I wouldn't be able to
concentrate, either.
I'm sure he made lots of people laugh, though.
You're probably right.
Well, that brings us to a great point that I think Steve and Ken should share.
Let's go to the Information Cloud and see what they have to say about
superlatives.
In English grammar, a superlative is the most or highest degree of something.
Superlatives often end in E-S-T like tallest or shortest.
In many high schools, right before the seniors graduate, the yearbooks come out.
Pages and pages of great memories.
Ah, yes.
So what do superlatives have to do with yearbooks?
Well, in America, most yearbooks have a superlative section.
That's right.
Early in their final year, seniors are asked to vote one male and one female
classmate each for superlative categories such as most likely to succeed, most
talkative and most athletic.
Now we can't say for sure, but had Benedict Cumberbatch gone to high school in
America,
it's very likely he would have been voted funniest or, as some yearbooks put it,
class clown.
Class clowns are the guys or girls who are always making everyone laugh by
performing and doing silly things.
They love the attention.
Of course, given his love for theater, Cumberbatch could easily have won most
theatrical, too.
Can you get voted for more than one category?
Absolutely.
You know, when Michael Jackson was a senior in high school, he won three
superlative categories: best dressed, shiest and most creative.
(Chinese).
Thanks a lot, guys.
Uh, Gabe, what was your superlative in high school?
My superlative...
You know, my class didn't really do that superlative thing when we were
graduating, but I know, for a while, I was class clown.
At least that's what some of the others called me.
What about you, Carolyn?
Did your school do this whole superlative thing?
Uh, we did.
And actually I was voted most likely to succeed.
Oh, really! Well, that fits, especially with what you're doing now.
It seems like you are succeeding.
I think I'm pretty successful for someone my age.
Well, anyway, back to Benedict.
His teachers realized he could go one of two ways: be creative or destructive.
And those sound like opposites to me.
You're right about that.
Are you a creative person?
Do you like to create things like art, songs, buildings, poems?
Or are you destructive?
Do you destroy things?
I hope you are creative.
I hope so, too.
You know, it's possible to destroy things with your hands, but it's also
possible to... to destroy things with your words.
It's possible to be destructive if you have a bad attitude or you say mean
things to others.
And that is a great reminder, Carolyn.
Build up others.
Don't tear them down with destructive words.
Well, what does it say here?
As it ended up, Cumberbatch went both ways: being creative on stage and
destructive on the rugby field.
"As it ended up" is a great phrase to use when you want to conclude a part of a
story.
Right.
So maybe the conclusion is a little surprising, so you can use this phrase.
For example, Mom told my sister to mop the floor.
My sister was too busy, so she asked my brother to help, but he forgot.
So it ended up I mopped the floor.
My friend in university couldn't decide on a major.
It was philosophy at first.
Then she switched to education, and then nursing.
As it ended up, she majored in business.
I could also say she ended up majoring in business.
Well, Cumberbatch was destructive on the rugby field.
That's a fun sport, kind of like American football but without padding.
It's popular in Australia, New Zealand and England among other places.
Well, nobody was surprised that Cumberbatch took to acting.
And I think Liz wants to explain this phrase in the Grammar Gym: to take to
something.
Hello, friends.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz, and I'm so glad you can join me here.
In today's article, the writer mentions:
No one was surprised that he took to acting.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Today our focus is on the phrase: took to, or to take to.
It just means to really like something.
So today's sentence just means no one was surprised that he really liked acting.
To take to + [verb-ing] is a great phrase to use when you want to talk about how
someone really enjoys doing something.
For example:
While Lisa was at camp, she enjoyed all kinds of outdoor activities and really
took to mountain biking.
Of course, we can use "to take to + [noun]" to talk about how someone really
likes someone or something.
For example: The new babysitter is very good, and it's no wonder the kids really
took to her.
So friends, give this phrase a try.
Think of an activity or something that someone really likes and practice using
this phrase.
If you'd like to see some more example sentences, they're available in today's
Grammar Tip section in your Studio Classroom magazine.
That's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you nexttime.