节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-02-05
难易度:High
关键字:spectacular, resort, stroll, plantation, northernmost
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And my name is Carolyn.
And today we are starting a lesson about Sochi, Russia.
Now Gabe, have you ever heard of Sochi?
Well, of course! That's where they're having the Winter Olympics.
Ah, you are right.
And we're going to learn all about this spectacular city over the next two days.
Great! So open up your magazine and let's get started with the first reading for
today.
(Music).
Spectacular Sochi.
Enjoy this Russian hot spot at any time of year!
This year all eyes are on Sochi, Russia, the location of the 2014 Winter
Olympics.
But did you know that Sochi is actually a popular summer resort destination in
Russia?
It's located in Krasnodar Krai, a region of Russia on the coast of the Black
Sea.
Sochi enjoys a subtropical climate although the Caucasus Mountains are only a
short drive away.
But no matter what time of year it is, this region is full of things to see and
do.
Don't limit your stay to Sochi - check out the surrounding cities and towns,
too!
If you go, don't miss out on:
(Music).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
Thank you, Michelle.
Now at the very beginning of this section, we learn that Sochi is a hot spot.
But Carolyn, I thought this was supposed to be the location for the Winter
Olympics.
Well, you are right, Gabe.
Hot spot can actually have several different meanings.
This phrase means that a location is popular or that the temperature is hot.
Now I've also seen this phrase used on signs for Wi-Fi.
You can find a Wi-Fi hot spot and connect to the Internet.
Right. So this phrase can mean many different things.
And here I think the author is using two of the meanings at once.
So if Sochi is hosting the Winter Olympics, it would be a very popular place, so
that makes it a hot spot.
It's also a popular summer vacation destination for many people in Russia.
And that's because Sochi is subtropical.
Wow! So it really is a hot spot, though it's still a bit further north and does
get cold in the winter.
That's right.
It averages six degrees Celsius in the winter, which is pretty warm compared
with the rest of Russia.
Yeah, and warm for the Winter Olympics, which is dominated by ice and snow
sports.
Six degrees Celsius is above freezing.
So how can they have the Winter Olympics here?
Good question.
Well, Russia has spent a lot of money to turn Sochi into the perfect location
for the Winter Olympics.
In fact, Sochi has been storing snow since 2012, just to make sure that there's
enough snow for the games.
So they're also prepared to use man-made snow if there isn't enough natural snow
on the ground.
They have 200 snow blowers and water from nearby lakes ready to be used to
supply the needed snow.
Well, this is fascinating.
Weather forecasters have had trouble predicting just how much snow there would
be because there isn't much historical data on the weather in Sochi.
In fact, the closest weather station is located far below the competition slopes
and has only been in use for the past 10 years.
Wow! I can understand why it would be difficult to predict the weather in that
area.
But they have been very busy preparing for the Olympics, and they seem to be
ready.
Now we will take a closer look at the Winter Olympics later this week.
Yes. But for now, all eyes are on Sochi and this article.
And that's a good phrase to know: all eyes are on something.
If all eyes are on something, that means everyone is paying attention to it.
You could say that all eyes were on the athlete as he received the gold medal.
Or all eyes were on the chairman as they waited for the announcement about where
the next Olympics would be held.
Ah. And I hope that right now all eyes are on this article as we continue to
learn more about Sochi.
Me, too, Carolyn.
Sochi is actually a city on the coast of the Black Sea, and the Caucasus
Mountains are only a short drive away.
That's a beautiful place to go.
And you just used a great phrase.
It's time for all eyes to be on Liz as she tells us more about it in the Grammar
Gym.
Well, let's go there now.
Hi there, friends.
Thanks for joining me here at the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
For today's Grammar Tip, we're looking at this following sentence:
Sochi enjoys a subtropical climate although the Caucasus Mountains are only a
short drive away.
Notice the phrase at the end of the sentence: a short drive away.
Normally when we're talking about distance, we measure by miles or kilometers.
But sometimes we measure distance by how much time it takes to get from point A
to point B.
So in today's sentence, the writer is saying that the Caucasus Mountains aren't
far from Sochi.
It's only a short drive, which means it doesn't take that long to go from Sochi
to the Caucasus Mountains.
So if a place is close by and it doesn't take too long to drive there, then you
can use this phrase: a short drive away.
For example:
Amy is renting an apartment that's a short drive away from her school.
Or: The supermarket is just a short drive away from the post office.
Now what if the distance is even shorter?
Then we can say a short walk away.
For example: The beach is a short walk away from the hotel.
That's all the time we have for today.
And be sure to check out today's Grammar Tip section in your Studio Classroom
magazine for more example sentences.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Thank you, Liz.
There are many wonderful places that are only a short drive away.
And if you go to Sochi, there are lots of things to do no matter what time of
year.
And that is another great phrase: no matter what time of something.
You can use this phrase to show that you can do something regardless of when it
happens.
Right.
So you could say:
No matter what time of day, my boss loves to drink coffee.
Many people don't want to drink coffee later in the day because it can affect
their sleep schedule.
But for her, it doesn't matter what time of day it is.
She loves to drink coffee.
Great.
You could also say, um, no matter what time of night, the doctor is always ready
to help people.
And no matter what time of year, Sochi is a great place to visit.
That's right.
Now there are a lot of great things there that you don't want to miss out on.
And that's a great phrase, too: to miss out on something.
If you miss out on something, that means that you don't get to enjoy it or you
don't participate.
So you could say: Sorry, I missed out on your birthday party.
I wanted to go, but I had a lot of extra work that I needed to finish.
I'm sorry I missed out.
Oh, it's... it's OK, Gabe.
You know, you could also say: Don't miss out on the discounted tickets that are
on sale for the Olympics.
It's a great deal.
You know, I wish I could find a great deal on tickets to the Olympic events.
I guess I missed out on them, though.
It's a little bit late to be buying tickets now.
Yes, that's true.
Well, we don't want you to miss out on anything.
So don't go away.
We'll be right back after this.