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
Have you ever been to a drive-in, a drive-in movie theater?
Well, that's what we're talking about today.
I don't know if your moviegoing experiences are very memorable or not.
But as we found out, it can be a very memorable experience going to a drive-in
theater.
We found out about a man named Richard Hollingshead who started or created the
first drive-in theater in 1933.
It became a very popular idea especially by the 1960s.
Well, let's continue learning about the drive-in movie theater.
(Music).
Drive-Ins.
At a drive-in, the entertainment began before the movie started.
Playgrounds, pony rides and more provided lots of fun for the kids.
Halfway through the movie, dancing drinks and singing hot dogs appeared on the
screen.
Hungry people would then flock to the concession stand for a small snack or a
full meal.
The drive-in provided a whole evening of inexpensive entertainment.
In the 1980s, however, VCRs, cable TV and rising property prices almost caused
the death of drive-ins.
People didn't go to them as before.
But some drive-ins survived, and new generations of moviegoers are now enjoying
the experience.
Well, I am very glad that drive-ins have survived for others to enjoy because at
a drive-in, the entertainment began before the movie started.
And if you go there now, it begins before the movie starts.
And we see a word in that sentence, the word "entertainment." And entertainment
is from our Wod Bank today.
Gabe, what does this very long word mean?
Well, entertainment is anything that entertains you.
It's not work.
It's something that makes you laugh or makes you amused.
It's something that you can enjoy, entertainment.
Usually I think of entertainment as something like movies or maybe you go to a
concert of a group of music group that you really like.
You can go and hear them play and sing.
That is a kind of entertainment.
That's right.
But there are many kinds of entertainment.
And people who go to drive-ins are not there only to see a movie.
We see in the article that playgrounds, pony rides and more provided lots of fun
for the kids.
So you could go to a movie theater, and there would be a playground or ponies
for your kids to ride.
That's right.
Well, these seem like different kinds of entertainment.
Of course maybe sometimes you only think of a certain kind of entertainment.
Oh, I'm going to go to the movies or something like that.
Well, try to be creative.
There are so many other forms of entertainment.
Even riding a pony or a horse is a kind of entertainment.
And of course, kids love to play on playgrounds.
That's right.
Well, halfway through the movie, dancing drinks and singing hot dogs appeared on
the screen.
So you would watch half of the movie, and then it sounds like there would be a
little ad with dancing drinks and singing hot dogs.
Well, that sounds interesting, these drinks are dancing, and the hot dogs can
sing.
Wonderful.
Well, that does sound like entertainment to me.
Yes. Well, there was a reason that they would appear on the movie screen.
Hungry people would then flock to the concession stand for a small snack for a
full meal.
So when the movie was halfway through, you could take a break and get a snack
from the concession stand.
That's right.
The drive-in provided a whole evening of inexpensive entertainment.
And that is my favorite kind of entertainment - the kind that you don't have to
pay a lot of money to enjoy.
Well, right now it's time for us to continue learning something in a video.
Enjoy this video.
(Music).
Can you tell me about your experience with reserving with us at the Drive-In
tonight?
It was very easy.
I just called the number like I said and you're very helpful.
Got me the spots I needed.
Everybody's happy.
And you bought three whole car lots for so many people.
I did with three car lots.
And everybody's happy so far for tonight?
Yup.
(Music).
I do love drive-in theaters.
Well, in the 1980s, however, VCRs, cable TV and rising property prices almost
caused the death of drive-ins.
So in the 1980s, there were rising property prices.
"Property" is a word from the Word Bank.
And property is simply something that you own or can buy.
And here it is talking about land.
Mmhm. That's right, so the property that you have.
Well, it almost caused the death of drive-ins.
The death of something.
Again, we're not talking about something like an animal or a person who's dying.
This phrase, "the death of," means that an idea or something is not being done
anymore, something is not being used anymore, like drive-ins.
That's right.
And a lot of people are thinking that cell phones may cause the death of house
phones.
Interesting.
Many people don't have phones in their homes because their cell phones are so
convenient.
That's an interesting idea.
I think that might happen one day.
Well, it's time for us to learn something new with Steve and Ken in the Info
Cloud.
You know, Steve, I think it's a real shame that many drive-ins died out.
I think so, too, Ken.
In addition to the several reasons our lesson mentions, there's one more reason
for the death of drive-ins: the multiplex.
Ah, yes. The multiplex is a special kind of movie theater.
The prefix "multi-" means many or more than one.
So a multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens or auditoriums,
maybe 6, 10 or even more.
Many multiplexes are part of a shopping mall, but they don't have to be.
Some multiplex theaters were built on the sites of former drive-in theaters.
Now that's pretty ironic.
But you have to admit, a multiplex theater has many advantages over the
drive-in.
In addition to offering more movie choices, it offers more showings for each
movie so you don't have to wait a long time for a particular movie to start.
Multiplex theaters also make good business sense.
A theater owner can convert his single screen theater into a multiplex by
dividing the large auditorium into a handful of smaller ones,
thereby, generating more profit.
But those auditoriums tend to be pretty tiny like oversized living rooms.
Which is why I try to avoid them.
(Chinese).
Well, talking about drive-ins, people didn't go to them as before.
But some drive-ins survived, and new generations of moviegoers are now enjoying
the experience.
All right.
Well, let's take a look at that word from the Word Bank: generation.
It could mean different things.
It could mean a grandfather, a father and a son.
Those are three generations in a family.
But here it means a period of years.
So the generation of youth now enjoy different things that the generations of
youth before enjoyed.
That's right.
Well, right now it is time for us to enjoy a visit to the Language Lab with
Michelle.
(Chinese).
And now let's see what our teachers are up to.
Well, drive-ins are a wonderful place to go to watch a movie, a great source of
entertainment.
So Gabe, what interests you most about drive-in theaters?
Inexpensive entertainment.
Oh, yeah.
That is a very good part to the drive-in experience.
Well, I hope that you will have the opportunity to go and that you will join us
right here on Studio Classroom next time.
See you then.