节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-06-06
难易度:Low
关键字:memorable, entertainment, property, generation, concession stand, VCR
Hello, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And my name is Carolyn.
And thank you for joining us for today's lesson.
It's a very interesting lesson about drive-ins.
Well, maybe you don't know what a drive-in is, but it's a kind of movie theater.
It's a kind of theater where you can actually take your car and drive and sit in
your car and watch a movie in a big parking lot.
That's a drive-in movie theater.
Well, have you ever been to a drive-in movie theater, Carolyn?
I have actually been to a drive-in theater many, many times.
There is one very close to my house in West Virginia.
It only took 20 or 30 minutes to get there, which is pretty close for a movie
theater to my hometown.
So we would often go there on the weekends and watch movies.
Well, that's really cool.
You went to a drive-in theater.
I had... well, there was a drive-in theater right next to the university I went
to, but it was shut down.
There was a big theater screen and a big parking lot.
But the government wouldn't let them use it because they thought it would fall
apart and maybe harm some people.
So I was there at a drive-in theater, but there were no movies showing.
I would love to see a movie at a drive-in theater.
We're going to be learning all about these today.
Let's get started with the first reading of today's lesson, Drive-Ins.
Drive-Ins.
Eighty years ago the drive-in theater was born.
Was your last trip to the movies a memorable experience?
Maybe not.
But years ago, people could have as much fun at the movies as they did watching
the film.
The days of the drive-in theater.
In 1933, Richard Hollingshead created a unique moviegoing experience when he
opened the first outdoor theater.
At this New Jersey "drive in" theater, people watched a movie from their cars
for the first time.
The popular idea spread, and by the mid-60s there were around 5,000 drive-ins
across America.
That is a lot of drive-in theaters, very large number there.
Well, we see here that 80 years ago the drive-in theater was born.
Now drive-in theaters are not alive, but we see that it was born.
It just means that it was created or invented.
And a movie theater can't really come to life with all of the activities that go
on there.
Well, that's true.
And sometimes, just like Carolyn was saying, this is not something that's alive
like an animal or a person,
but you can use the word "born" to talk about something that is invented or
created for the first time.
That's right.
Well, continuing with our first reading here at the very beginning:
Was your last trip to the movies a memorable experience?
Is there something that you remember about it?
We have that word from our Word Bank: memorable.
If something is memorable, then you remember it easily.
It's something that really stands out.
All right.
So what in life could be memorable?
Or maybe you had a memorable vacation.
You went on a trip somewhere.
You experience so many things you will never forget it.
That's like my trip to India earlier this year.
It was a very memorable experience.
I went to many places, saw and tasted and felt many different kinds of things.
It was a memorable time.
But what else could be memorable, Carolyn?
Well, I think for a lot of people, their wedding day is very memorable.
It is a day that they will never forget and maybe the happiest day of their
lives.
Well, right now it is time for us to have a memorable experience with Liz in the
Grammar Gym.
Hello, friends. Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
Our HISTORY article this month is about drive-ins.
It's a fun and interesting article.
However, when it comes to HISTORY articles, not everyone is so interested in
past events.
It the case of today's article, the writer could have jumped right into the
history of drive-ins, but that would make a lot of readers lose interest.
So what does the writer do to capture the readers' attention?
She begins by asking a question:
Was your last trip to the movies a memorable experience?
With this question, the writer invites her readers to think about a personal
experience.
This creates a bridge and allows the readers to connect with the subject of the
article.
So next time when you're writing or talking about a subject that is full of
facts that might appear boring or not meaningful to readers or listeners,
don't just jump right into your subject and lay out all the facts.
Instead, ask a personal question relating to your topic.
This will make your readers or listeners more interested in what you have to
say.
And that's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Well, just before the Grammar Gym, we had a question: Was your last trip to the
movies a memorable experience?
And we continue.
Maybe not.
Of course sometimes it can be great... other times you just don't remember it.
But years ago, people could have as much fun at the movies as they did watching
the film.
Carolyn, have you ever had a memorable time in a theater?
Well, not really in a movie theater.
I usually focus on the movie that I'm watching because I want to remember that
experience because that's why I go there.
But when I go to a drive-in theater, there are so many more things to enjoy than
just watching a movie.
All right.
Well, let's get started learning about the drive-in theater.
This next part is titled The days of the drive-in theater.
The days of something.
If you read that sentence, you know that maybe this is talking about something
in the past, maybe it's not around anymore or maybe it's not as big anymore.
We're talking about the days of the drive-in theater in the past.
That's right.
And this is a phrase that does tell you that it happened before, and we'll look
at it.
A lot of times I think of how quickly technology changes; the days of the CD
player.
It seems like such a long time ago that we were using CDs.
Now everyone has MP3 players or just your cell phone or something even
different.
You just download it on your computer, and you don't really even need a file.
That's right.
I could also say the days of needing a computer to get online are gone.
Now we have smartphones, we can get online whenever we need to.
Well, let's continue with our lesson.
In 1933, Richard Hollingshead created a unique moviegoing experience when he
opened the first outdoor theater.
That's right.
And this is a moviegoing experience, so you are going to the movies.
And it does sound very unique.
It was the first outdoor theater.
And at this New Jersey "drive in" theater, people watched a movie from their
cars for the first time.
Well, do you think you would be very excited to get to watch a movie from your
car for the very first time, Gabe?
Yes, Carolyn, because there is that movie theater next to my old university, and
I didn't get to watch one there.
I still haven't seen my first outdoor movie for the first time from a car.
That would be cool.
Well, we continue.
The popular idea spread, and by the mid-60s there were around 5,000 drive-ins
across America.
So over a span of maybe 30 years or so, this idea became very popular.
And it grew from just one to over 5,000, or around 5,000 drive-ins around
America.
That's right.
Well, it sounds also like as the popularity of cars grew.
Because in the 1930s, not everyone had a car, but by the 1960s most people did
and they wanted places to drive.
That's right.
Well, we see a phrase here, or a word: the mid-60s.
This is talking about the 1960s, not at the beginning, maybe not 1961 or 62, and
not toward the end, the mid-60s.
Carolyn, what year would that be maybe?
Well, 1964, 65, 66.
Yeah.
Those are the mid-60s.
All right.
So we're talking about the drive-in here and how this idea grew across America.
Well, let's continue learning something with Michelle in the Language Lab.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.