节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-07-15
难易度:Low
关键字:image, ceramics, explore, pedal, glide, windmill, stereotype, cruise
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
And thank you for joining us for today's lesson.
We're going to be talking about a certain country in the world - the
Netherlands.
We're going to enjoy the Netherlands.
We're going to enjoy learning all about this country.
Now what comes to your mind when you think of the Netherlands, Carolyn?
Well, the first thing I think of would be tulips.
I love tulips.
And the Netherlands has many, many great flowers.
And they're famous for growing tulips that are then sent all around the world.
OK. Yes, they are very famous for tulips.
I think something that comes to my mind is maybe the wooden shoes that they
wear, or windmills.
Also, you know, I visited the Netherlands.
My sister lives in the Netherlands.
She's working there, so of course I think of her as well.
I also think of canals and... and little houses that line the streets.
One word I could use to describe these streets or houses is it's "quaint." You
can use this word to describe the Netherlands.
Well, that's what I think of.
What do you think of when you think of the Netherlands?
Let's get started with our lesson: Enjoy the Netherlands.
Enjoy the Netherlands.
Take an exciting tour full of beautiful sights and European history.
When most people think of the Netherlands, images of wooden shoes and windmills
come to mind.
While this may be a stereotype, it's correct!
Spend a few days here and you'll see all that and more.
Look for yellow rounds of cheese, blue-and-white ceramics and bright flowers
everywhere you go.
How can you explore this colorful country?
Start with the capital.
Touch down at Schiphol, one of the busiest airports in the world.
There, you can hop on the train to Amsterdam Central Station.
Well, let's go to the very beginning of our lesson today.
This lesson is written by Naomi.
And she is part Dutch, and she has some relatives in the Netherlands, so she
knows all about the Netherlands.
OK.
We begin by reading a sentence:
Take an exciting tour full of beautiful sights and European history.
So that's what we're going to be doing when we're learning about the
Netherlands.
That's right.
And at the beginning we talked a little bit about what we think of when we think
of the Netherlands.
And the article opens: When most people think of the Netherlands, images of
wooden shoes and windmills come to mind.
And those were two things that you mentioned, Gabe.
That's exactly right.
I think that's something... or those things are things that a lot of people
think about when they think of the Netherlands,
these images of wooden shoes and windmills.
Well, let's take a look at those words.
The first one is "image." OK.
So if you have an image of something in your mind, that means you are picturing
it.
Of course it's... it's not really there, but you are thinking about it.
This image comes to mind.
How can you use that word, Carolyn?
Well, image is another word for a picture, so.
"What image comes to mind when you think of the Netherlands?" is one question
you could ask.
You might also say: What image comes to mind when you think of the perfect date?
Where would you go?
What things would you see?
OK. What things would you see?
What image?
You could also use another form of this word: to imagine.
What do you imagine?
What do you think about?
OK. So we're talking about these images of wooden shoes and windmills.
Carolyn, what is a windmill?
Well, a windmill is a large structure, and it usually has four sides that spin
around and around.
And it's blown by the wind, and it creates power usually for some type of
factory.
But it could generate electricity.
It could do many, many things or pump water.
That's right.
It... it can serve many different functions.
That's right.
So windmills are very useful.
And of course, the Netherlands has many windmills.
That's true.
Well, let's continue.
While this may be a stereotype, it's correct!
So what is a stereotype?
Well, it's maybe one thing that many people think about when they think about a
country or a certain topic.
They... they think of one thing that comes to mind, so that thing is a
stereotype.
What else can you... how else can you use that word, Carolyn?
Well, there are many... many stereotypes.
And usually we think about them as being something that isn't very good.
But it doesn't have to be something bad.
Like windmills and wooden shoes, those sound like great things to have.
Um, I think of one stereotype that a lot of people might have about Americans is
that all Americans have white skin, blond hair and blue eyes.
But that is not true.
My sister's hair is brown.
Her eyes are hazel, which is a green/brown color.
And she is even fairer, her skin is even whiter than mine.
So even though we're sisters, we look very different.
OK. Well, most people do have stereotypes about different things.
And of course, the stereotype here is correct.
If you go to the Netherlands, you will see windmills and yes, wooden shoes.
We continue.
Spend a few days here and you'll see all that and more.
Let's take a look at that phrase: all that and more.
Carolyn, how could you use this phrase?
Well, it means that you see things that you were expecting as well as things
that you weren't expecting, so.
Maybe you go to a new place and you thought: Oh, I'm sure I will see a giraffe.
When I go to the zoo, and I saw a giraffe and more.
I saw all that and more.
That's right.
Maybe you heard that the night market has good food and some nice clothes.