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
I hope you are enjoying our lesson so far on Spectacular Sochi.
This is a very interesting city located on the coast of the Black Sea in Russia.
And it's the location for the Winter Olympics, which will be starting very soon.
Despite hosting the Winter Olympics, this city is considered to be subtropical.
Let's learn more about all of the great things we don't want to miss when
visiting this Russian beach resort with the second reading.
(Music).
Spectacular Sochi.
The Sights.
The city of Novorossiysk is home to the Russian navy, so there's plenty of
military history to see, including a stunning war memorial called Malaya Zemlya.
Visit the city of Anapa, and check out its beaches, considered the best in the
North Black Sea region.
And when you're in Sochi, be sure to take a long stroll through the Park
Arboretum and Park Riviera.
Do you love tea?
Then tour the Matsesta Tea Garden, where tea is grown, harvested, dried and
packaged.
It's a unique experience - the tea plantations in and around Sochi are the
northernmost in the world!
(Music).
All right.
(Chinese).
And now let's go to our teachers.
Thank you, Michelle.
Well, in this section we learn a little bit about some of the sights in and
around Sochi.
And before we talk about those sights, let's join Ken and Steve in the
Information Cloud to see what they have to say about the words sight and site.
Hi, friends.
You are a sight for sore eyes.
We're really glad to see you.
Yes, it's good to see all of you.
A sight is what we see.
And a sight for sore eyes is a welcoming sight.
We do need to be careful when we use this word, though, as there is another
site, spelled S-I-T-E.
And that site refers to a place or location.
Now it can get confusing when we talk about seeing the sights.
If you're a tourist on vacation, you will most likely see the sights,
S-I-G-H-T-S.
Sights are things that people look at.
You can take in the sights.
And that means to go out and see all the landmarks that tourists usually visit.
And we call that sightseeing.
But if you're a historian, you'll likely be visiting different historic sites or
places where historic events happened.
Site, in this case, is spelled S-I-T-E.
Or if you're an archaeologist, you'll be working in different excavation sites
or digs.
And that's also spelled S-I-T-E.
So two different "sights" with two very different meanings.
(Chinese).
Thank you, gentlemen.
Now we can learn all about the sights at this Olympic site.
That's right.
And if you're interested in military history or visiting the home of the Russian
navy, you can go to the city of Novorossiysk.
Wow! Say that a couple of times.
OK. This is a major port city and many of the activities here surround its
military history and the water.
Now in terms of Russian distances, these cities are not too far apart.
It would only take about five hours to drive from Sochi to this naval hub.
But for someone from a smaller place like Taipei, it might seem like a long
distance.
Right. But it's not that far when you live in the world's largest country,
Russia.
And if you're already near Novorossiysk, then you can take time to drive a short
distance to Anapa.
Anapa sounds like a much easier name to remember.
Well, we learn in the article that they have the best beaches in the North Black
Sea region.
Now this city also has a dolphinarium, where you can enjoy performances by
dolphins and other aquatic animals.
Though you could also go to the new dolphinarium in Sochi if you don't plan on
going that far north.
Good point.
And there are many other things to do in Sochi.
Right, like going to watch the Olympic Games.
Well, if you don't have a ticket to the events, or you decide to go during
another time of year, there's still plenty to do.
You could take a stroll through the Park Arboretum.
Gabe, what's an arboretum?
Good question. OK.
An arboretum is a place where plants, especially trees, are grown so that they
can be studied by scientists or used for educational purposes.
So if you enjoy seeing many different kinds of trees, you could go to an
arboretum.
Now the arboretum in Sochi has over 500 different kinds of trees.
In fact, the Park Arboretum is so large that it is divided into two different
sections - the upper level and the lower level.
And it is recommended to visit each section of the park on separate days because
the upper section is so large.
Wow! That sounds like an amazing place to visit.
I think one of my friends could spend all of her time just walking around
looking at the trees.
Sounds like your friend must really like trees.
She does.
Another unique thing you could do while in Sochi is visit the northernmost tea
plantations in the world.
Yes. You can tour the Matsesta Tea Garden.
They offer tours throughout the year and allow you to experience the entire tea
making process that occurs right there.
So no matter what time of year you decide to go, you could take this tour.
Right.
You can enjoy a view of the tea plantation, learn about tea history, different
plants and how they are harvested.
Then you can learn about the production of tea and the equipment they use.
Then taste the black or green tea with honey.
That sounds really good.
So if you go to Sochi, make sure to schedule a tour at this tea garden.
Now they are also famous for their spas and resorts.
So you might just stay there during your trip.
That would be a wonderful vacation indeed, to spend your time at a spa or a
resort and learn about the local tea culture.
I think you are right.
That sounds great.
Now we also learn that the tea plantations around Sochi are the northernmost in
the world.
The northernmost... that's pretty amazing.
And we should look at that word: northernmost.
We've talked about direction words before, like the adjective southwestern or
the name of a region in the United States, the Midwest.
And here we see the word northernmost.
This is also an adjective, and it indicates something that is the farthest
north.
Right. And you can use this with other direction words as well.
You could say that you are going to the southernmost part of the island for
vacation.
Or you are from the easternmost part of the country.
How can you use this phrase to talk about things in your own life?
Try it out.
Well, we've had a great lesson today.
And right now it's time for us to review with Linda in the Editor's Summary.
Let's join her now.
If you have ever thought of going to Russia, now is the time.
The popular summer beach resort of Sochi is hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics
this year.
You know what that means?
There is nearby snow in the Caucasus Mountains even though the town itself has a
subtropical climate.
There's also lots of military history, a park arboretum and tea plantations that
are the northernmost in the entire world.
Thanks, Linda.
Today we've been able to enjoy a great TRAVEL article on Sochi, Russia.
There are a lot of great things to do around this Black Sea resort town.
Whether you decided to stay in the city or travel to the surrounding areas is up
to you.
But of course, there are many things to see and do in this beautiful part of
Russia.
One of which is to visit the Park Arboretum.
Now Gabe, have you ever been to an arboretum?
Um, actually yes, Carolyn, I have.
I went to the LA Arboretum in Los Angeles, California.
And I would suggest going there if you love plants and trees and wide open
spaces.
They have ponds, waterfalls and even peacocks in that LA Arboretum.
My friend took his girlfriend to propose to her there.
It's a very nice spot.
And I suggest you go if you ever visit Los Angeles.
Well, it sounds like a very romantic spot as well if people go there to propose.
And there are peacocks!
Exactly.
I didn't realize there were a lot of animals in arboretums.
I thought it was just trees.
Well, I guess every arboretum is a little bit different.
You might be surprised that the animals you might see at the arboretum in Sochi
as well... or Sochi.
There are so many different things, and it's so big!
I'm sure there are lots of interesting things to see.
I'm sure there are, too.
And we have a lot more to learn about Sochi in tomorrow's lesson.
So we'll see you next time right here at Studio Classroom.
See you.