节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-09-19
难易度:Low
关键字:amaze, formation, column, breeze, spectacular, limestone


























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In our article today "Country Roads, Take Me Home," Pauline and her family have
left Skyline Drive to go visit a spectacular cave called Luray Caverns.
She and her family were amazed by the limestone rock formations inside this
cave.
And they have been able to enjoy many of the wonderful things that they can see
inside these natural formations.
Let's learn some more about what they saw in the next part of our reading.
"Country Roads, Take Me Home".
The Totem Poles are columns of various shapes and colors.
Saracen's Tent is considered the best well-formed drapery in the world.
Walking around this underground natural wonder is an unforgettable experience.
On the way back home, we rolled down the windows and enjoyed the autumn breeze.
Suddenly, the winding road looked like the road we had often taken on Yang-Ming
Mountain in Taipei.
As the song says, these country roads are taking me home - to the place I
belong!
Well, allow me to take you back to the beginning of this section.
We're reading here about Totem Poles.
And the Totem Poles are columns of various shapes and colors.
All right. Let's look at that word from our Word Bank - a column.
A column is something that goes up and down; it's a solid something.
Carolyn, what might a column in the Totem Poles be?
Well, here we're talking about columns in a cave.
And those form when a stalactite from the ceiling and a stalagmite from the
ground meet in the middle, and they form one single column, one formation.
They are no longer separate.
All right.
So that's this kind of column.
Of course you might see different kinds of columns around the world.
In ancient Greece, buildings were made with columns.
They were called pillars, but actually you could call them columns as well.
So what do we find out here, Carolyn?
Well, we learn about one of the other formations.
Saracen's Tent.
Now Saracen's Tent is considered the best well-formed drapery in the world.
So it is something very special, a drapery - something that goes across.
And it's made of rock.
That's right.
Usually I think of drapery as kind of like a curtain or a kind of... or drapery
is hanging cloth, cloth that hangs down from something.
And usually you use it to talk about curtains.
But here we're talking about these rocks that kind of look like well-formed
curtains in these caves.
That's right.
So it would be very amazing to walk around Luray Caverns.
And Pauline writes:
Walking around this underground natural wonder is an unforgettable experience.
So this is a place with natural rock formations.
People did not make it.
It was found or discovered.
That's right.
Of course there are many natural wonders in the world.
But we don't usually think of them as being underground.
We think of them as being something you can see when you're walking outside.
This is an underground natural wonder.
She writes:
On the way back home, we rolled down the windows and enjoyed the autumn breeze.
OK. So they've enjoyed a great time in Shenandoah National Park, and maybe now
they're leaving the national park.
That's right.
And they rolled down their windows to enjoy the autumn breeze.
A word from our Word Bank: breeze.
It means a light wind, a very comfortable wind.
And when it's hot outside, a breeze can be very welcome.
Oh, exactly.
I feel that way, too.
Especially in the middle of summer, and it's really hot, you just want a light
breeze or a cool breeze to pass on by.
Well, here we're talking about the autumn breeze, which would be a little
cooler.
She continues:
Suddenly the winding road looked like the road we had often taken on Yang-Ming
Mountain in Taipei.
So now she's beginning to think about home.
Well, this fits well with her theme of Country Roads, Take Me Home.
This song Take Me Home Country Roads is all about thinking about where you're
from and missing your home.
And here she is reminded of the mountain road that they used to drive on here in
Taipei.
And so she writes:
As the song says, these country roads are taking me home - to the place I
belong!
This sounds like she really is missing Taipei.
She's been in the United States for a couple of years.
Of course you would miss your hometown every once in a while, especially if you
see something that reminds you of home.
That's right.
And now she and her family are driving back to their home in the United States
on these beautiful country roads that you can find in many parts of the U.S.
Now there's a great phrase in there, Gabe.
Would you like to talk about it?
Yeah, actually this phrase, uh, it... it says "as the song says," but it reminds
me of the phrase: as the saying goes.
You might hear that sometimes.
As the saying goes, and then your share a popular or a famous saying.
For example, you might say:
You know, it's good to work hard even if it's difficult; as the saying goes, "No
pain, no gain." I know many of you love that idiom.
And many times me want to give up because we have to do things over and over and
over.
But as the saying goes: Practice makes perfect.
If you make a mistake the first time, the second time, it's OK.
Just keep practicing because you will get it eventually.
That's right.
And as the saying goes, we have more to learn with Steve and Ken...
Well, I guess that's not really a saying, but... but it's true.
We have more to learn with Steve and Ken in the Information Cloud.
And then we'll enjoy a review skit, followed by Michelle in the Language Lab.
Last week we looked at how some places get named.
Let's pick up this theme again today in this month's Life in America feature.
We first encountered Skyline Drive.
Now with a name like that, I'm expecting a road high up in the sky.
Right.
Normally the word "skyline" is used to describe the view of a city's buildings
and structures against the sky.
In this case, however, it's the view of mountain scenery from a road.
OK. Luray Cavern is simply named after the nearest town, Luray, Virginia.
The next three things mentioned in the lesson are formations, not places, but
it's easy to guess how they got their names.
Dream Lake is named for the feeling you get when you see it.
When you look at it, you feel like you're... dreaming.
Formations might also be named for the things they resemble like Totem Poles and
a tent.
Saracen is an ancient word used to describe people who lived in and around the
Arabian Desert in tent.
And finally, places are named in honor of other people, like Yang-Ming Shan,
which was named in honor of the Chinese Ming Dynasty philosopher Wang Yang Ming.
(Chinese).
Ah... fall.
Yes. Fall is probably the most beautiful season of the year.
I agree.
The cool temperatures make it perfect for people to enjoy nature.
Yeah, but not much attention is given to Moon Festival.
No. But we can appreciate fall in a different way - as leaf peepers.
Yeah. We can admire the fall leaves - all shades and all colors, gold, orange,
red.
Yeah. We can enjoy nature above ground and underground.
Underground? Where?
At Luray Caverns.
It's one of the most spectacular caves in the world.
Really? What makes it so spectacular?
The limestone shapes inside, including the world's largest musical instrument.
Wow! I'm amazed.
What else is there?
Another formation is Dream Lake.
It's a mirror-like surface which reflects the stalactites above.
Oh. That sounds peaceful.
What else?
Uh, the Totem Poles.
They're columns of various shapes and colors.
Oh, that sounds fun.
What else?
Uh, Saracen's Tent.
It's considered the most well-formed drapery in the world.
Wow! Walking around in that underground natural wonder must be...
Unforgettable!
Yeah! Well, what else do you remember?
I remember everything.
Luray Caverns, they're unforgettable.
Ah, fall.
Yeah. I love it.
(Chinese).
And let's return to our teachers now.
Well, I've enjoyed this lesson about Pauline and her experiences in Shenandoah
National Park.
She got to experience and see a lot.
And some of it, especially the ride home, reminded her of her home in Taipei.
Well, have you ever been somewhere or visited a place that reminded you of home?
Carolyn?
Well, I actually found it very interesting that Pauline says that the country
road she was driving on reminded her of her home in Taipei...
because there are places in Taiwan that remind me of West Virginia.
Really?
Yes.
Like... like what kind of places?
Well, when I go out hiking in the mountains, the trees are a little different
because it's subtropical or tropical,
but it's so beautiful and peaceful, and there are just lots of plants
everywhere.
It reminds me of West Virginia and the mountains there.
Hmm. Well, the climate is a little bit similar.
It does get humid during the summer and cold in the winter.
Well, how would you answer this question?
Thank you for joining us here today.
And of course, we'll see you next time right here on Studio Classroom.
See you.