节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-08-10
难易度:Low
关键字:in full swing, outstanding, primarily, reflect, dog days, bareback,
Victorian era
Hello, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
And you're joining us for the 10th day of August.
We have a special lesson today all about August.
Of course we do this every month.
There are interesting facts that you can find out about every month.
Well, what about August?
You're going to learn a lot today.
I wonder if you have a favorite day in August, something you like most about
August.
Carolyn?
Well, I do have a favorite day in August for many reasons - August 8.
Hmm?
And well, we talked about previously this month about the Great Train Robbery
that took place on August 8.
August 8 was also the start date for the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
And most importantly, August 8 is my brother's birthday.
What?! It's your brother's birthday?
No way!
Well, happy... Well, what's his name again, Carolyn?
Kyle.
Happy birthday, Kyle.
You know, August 8 is also my favorite day in August.
Really!
Yeah, because it's one month after my birthday to the day, so.
Well, that's a good reason.
Yeah, it is.
Birthdays are wonderful.
Happy birthday, Kyle.
And happy late birthday, me.
And of course, happy birthday to you if your birthday is in August.
Let's get started learning all about August.
(Music).
August.
"If the first week of August be unusually warm, the winter will be snowy and
long.".
The dog days of summer remain in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere.
As the month progresses, the evenings become cooler in northern regions and
mountains.
But in the Southern Hemisphere, August means winter's end is fast approaching.
Festivals can be found worldwide this month.
One of the more outstanding ones is La Tomatina in Spain.
If you like tomatoes, then you'll like this one because people throw them at one
another!
That does sound like a very special festival in Spain.
But before we get too much into the festivals of August, let's go back to the
beginning of the article.
We see "If the first week of August be unusually warm, the winter will be snowy
and long." And this is a saying or a quote.
And many people believe that it's true.
If the first week of August is very hot, maybe hotter than it usually is, then
the winter will be very cold and have lots of snow.
Well, perhaps that is true.
Of course you could say if the first week of August "is" unusually warm.
But this is kind of poetic the person says if it "be" unusually warm.
Anyway, it's time for us now to learn something new with Steve and Ken in the
Information Cloud.
They're going to be talking about expressions about the weather.
For thousands of years, we humans have tried to accurately predict the weather.
Because it's important for us to know the best time to plant and harvest crops,
when to take an ocean voyage or when to go on a picnic.
Over the years we've accumulated dozens of English sayings which help us to
determine whether tomorrow's weather will be fair or foul.
They're not what we call scientific, but many of them are surprisingly accurate.
Perhaps the most well-known saying is...
Red skies in the morning, sailors take warning; red skies at night, sailor's
delight.
Right.
If the sky is red in the morning, then expect rain.
If the sky is red at night, expect the next day's weather to be pleasant.
Now predictions about the weather are not just made by looking at the sky.
They're also made by observing the behavior of animals.
Here's an example.
A cow's tail to the west makes the weather the best; a cow's tail to the east
makes the weather the least.
Hmm... Who needs weatherman when you have a cow?
Other age-old weather predictors include rings around the moon, clogged salt
shakers and aching bones.
(Chinese).
Thanks, guys.
Continuing on in our article:
The dog days of summer remain in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere.
Now the dog days of summer.
Gabe, what are dog days?
Are there lots of dogs around?
That's a very good question.
This is kind of a weird phrase that we use to talk about the hottest days of
summer.
When does that usually fall, Carolyn?
Well, the dog days of summer are usually between early July and early September.
So if it's August, then the dog days of summer are definitely in full swing.
Well hey, I think that's a great phrase we should talk about.
It's from our Word Bank: in full swing.
If something is in full swing, that means it is going, and it's not about to end
anytime soon.
It's very exciting.
It's... it's the top of something.
It's in full swing.
That's right.
So it's gotten started, and it's not stopping anytime soon.
It's probably right in the middle.
And August would be in the middle of July and September.
So they are in full swing.
You might also say that the holiday season is in full swing.
Maybe Christmas is approaching, and lots of people are out busy shopping.
The holiday season is in full swing.
And some people believe this idiom comes from bells ringing.
When bells are swinging back and forth, they're in full swing.
They're not stopping anytime soon.
Well, it's time for us to continue this lesson.
We are in full swing.
We're not stopping now.
So as the month progresses, as the month of August progresses, the evenings
become cooler in northern regions and mountains.
That's right.
So in areas in the Northern Hemisphere, or above the Equator, north of the
Equator, areas become cooler because winter is approaching.
And we're finding out not only about the Northern Hemisphere.
But in the Southern Hemisphere, August means winter's end is fast approaching.
So of course, in the north, the summer is coming to an end.
But in the Southern Hemisphere, the winter is fast ending... or the winter's end
is fast approaching.
It will be getting warmer soon.
That's right.
And that is very interesting that the Northern and the Southern Hemisphere have
completely opposite seasons, so.
Many people have ideas, like I know in the United States, we think of summer
being June, July, August, maybe part of September and then it's fall.
But if you're from Australia, those months would be winter, not summer.
That's right.
And that's where my sister lives.
She is experiencing the end of winter right now.
Well, it's time for us to continue learning something with Liz in the Grammar
Gym.
Hello, friends.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
In today's article the writer mentions "... winter's end is fast approaching."
That's our Grammar Tip sentence for today.
Our focus is on the phrase at the end of the sentence: fast approaching.
It's another way to say how something is coming quickly or happening soon.
So today's sentence just means that the end of winter will be here soon.
When you want to talk about how something is going to be here soon, consider
using this phrase - fast approaching.
For example:
We need to hurry to the station; I see a bus is fast approaching.
You can also use this phrase to talk about how an event will happen very soon.
For example,
James has been very busy with his assignment because the due date is fast
approaching.
So give this phrase a try.
Think of something that is coming soon or happening soon, and practice using
this phrase.
And that's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Thank you, Liz.
We are fast approaching our first festival for the month of August.
We read that festivals can be found worldwide this month.
One of the more outstanding ones is La Tomatina in Spain.
And this festival is outstanding.
And that word is from our Word Bank.
Gabe, what does it mean if something is outstanding?
Well, if it's outstanding, it's amazing.
It stands out to you as special or more special than the other things around it.
It's an outstanding festival.
And it's very true.
If you like tomatoes, then you will like this festival.
Carolyn, how else could you use that word "outstanding"?
Well, I can use it to describe many things that are just amazing or special in a
very good way.
Maybe you are at a wedding, and the wedding cake is outstanding.
The detail and the icing, the decorations and the taste of the cake are
fantastic or amazing.
It's an outstanding cake.
Or maybe someone had an outstanding performance.
They did such a great job, singing or acting or dancing.
Their performance was outstanding.
Of course you're doing an outstanding job as you continue to improve in your
English.
Well, we're continuing to learn about La Tomatina in Spain.
If you like tomatoes, then you'll like this one because people throw them at one
another!
Carolyn, would you like to go to La Tomatina?
Well, I'm not so sure if I would enjoy having tomatoes thrown at me, Gabe.
I think it would be pretty fun to attend this.
I know my dad would hate this festival because he hates tomatoes.
I think it would be pretty fun.
What about you?
Have you ever been to Spain or participated in La Tomatina?
Right now it's time for us to continue with Michelle in the Language Lab.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.