节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-02-04
难易度:Medium
关键字:discipline, desperate, community, convince, dice, addict
Hello, everyone.
My name is Gabe.
My name is Carolyn.
And welcome to Studio Classroom.
Today we are continuing with the lesson Testing Your Luck.
That's right.
Yesterday we looked at a conversation between Bennie and Peggy on playing the
lottery.
Peggy thinks it's a waste of money, but Bennie thinks it's a form of
entertainment.
Very different opinions.
Now yesterday also ended with the start of a discussion on the difference
between playing the lottery and going to a casino.
Hmm, so let's continue this conversation with the first reading for today.
(Music).
Testing Your Luck.
Well, at a casino, you bet on whether your cards or your dice throw will be a
winner.
And how often do you win?
Well, some people win a lot.
But more people lose a lot.
And anyone can become addicted to gambling and get into debt.
Well, yes, some people lose money. But not me!
When I go to a casino, I set a limit for myself.
Once I reach my limit, I quit playing.
But many people don't have that kind of discipline.
They lose their money but keep playing - hoping to win it back.
(Music).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
Thank you, Michelle.
So Gabe, what is the difference, according to Bennie, between playing the
lottery and going to a casino?
Well, going to a casino means placing a bet on your cards or a throw of the
dice.
It's not quite as simple as just buying a ticket.
Right. And usually those bets are a lot more money than what someone would spend
on just lotto tickets.
True. It is interesting, though, when Peggy asks him how often he wins, he
doesn't really answer her.
He says some people win a lot, but he doesn't say that he wins a lot.
Ah, yes. So it sounds like Bennie is avoiding the question.
If you avoid a question, then you try to change the subject without giving an
answer.
Some people are very good at it.
And Bennie seems to be pretty good at it, too.
But before we continue, let's take a look at the phrase: a lot.
Now I know this seems like a very simple phrase, but it's very interesting here.
You're right, Gabe.
"A lot" has a lot of uses.
It can be used to refer to many different measure words.
You'll notice in Peggy's question, she asks "how often?" And Bennie's response
is "a lot.".
But you could also say, "How much did you win?" and get the same response - A
lot.
Or how many people are playing?
A lot.
How many people study English with Studio Classroom?
A lot.
So you can use "a lot" to talk about how often, how much or how many there is or
are of something.
That is a great point.
Well, we still have a lot to talk about today.
Yes, we do.
And the conversation moves to the potential of going into debt.
Now this is a familiar idea if you remember our lesson last month on credit
cards.
If you don't pay your bill right away, you can go into credit card debt.
But it looks like that isn't the only way to get into debt.
Certainly not. It's really important to manage your money wisely.
Gambling is a huge source of debt.
And as Peggy points out, it can also become an addiction.
In fact, some reports estimate that 6 million Americans are addicted to
gambling.
There are even hotlines in the U.S. that you can call if you need help to get
rid of a gambling addiction.
Now that's an interesting word.
A hotline is a special phone number that you call when you want a certain
service, such as an information hotline.
Oh, I know that one.
In the United States, it's 411.
Right. And there are many other hotlines available.
You could call a tourism hotline to get travel information on a certain area.
Or you could call special hotlines that help people overcome the problems they
are facing,
like gambling or drug addictions or even depression and suicide.
You know, it's comforting to know that there are so many people waiting by the
phone, ready to help those in need.
It really is.
Now back to Bennie.
He says: Well, yes, but not me.
Well, and that is a great phrase.
When someone says this, they show they know something is true, well, yes, but
it's not true all the time.
For example, if Carolyn tells me that my clothes are not fashionable, I can
reply with:
Well, yes, but at least they're comfortable.
Well, Gabe, I would never say such a thing to you.
I know.
Now Steve and Ken have something that they want to tell us about the word "well"
in the Information Cloud.
Let's go there now.
Hello, friends.
I don't know if you've noticed, but Bennie has a tendency to start his sentences
with the word "well." In fact,
each of his first three statements in today's article begins with this word.
Now more than just a particle that helps keep conversations moving along, more
than a sentence connector that gives conversations coherence,
"well" can also give us extra insight into a speaker's feelings or attitude
about a subject.
Right. Bennie's first use of "well" indicates that there's a contrast being
made.
Bennie is trying to convey to Peggy that there's a big difference between buying
a lottery ticket and gambling in a casino.
Bennie's second use of "well" indicates that what follows might be contrary to
what is expected.
Bennie's point being people win at gambling much more than Peggy thinks.
Bennie's third "well" indicates acknowledgement of what has been said.
Used here, it emphasizes Bennie's agreement with Peggy's statement that people
can indeed lose a lot of money gambling.
So three different times we see "well" adding a slightly different flavor to
Bennie's comments.
Later in the dialogue, Bennie starts yet another sentence with "well." What
flavor does "well" add there?