节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-06-27
难易度:Medium
关键字:arena, adventurous, era, lagoon, mecca, naval fleet
Hello, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
Thank you for joining us for today's lesson.
We will be traveling to Micronesia.
Our title is Chuuk: The South Pacific's Historic Treasure.
Well, you can see in our title that we're going to be learning about something
historic.
Do you enjoy learning about history?
Well, maybe you enjoy traveling to different places.
And do you enjoy learning about the history of the places that you travel to?
Carolyn, do you enjoy doing this?
I do enjoy learning about the history of the places I go.
Uh, few years ago I went to Kyoto in Japan.
And I had a wonderful time exploring the old city because it used to be the
capital of Japan.
But now that has moved to Tokyo.
And just learning about the rich history and culture of the city of Kyoto was
wonderful.
Well, that does sound wonderful.
I'm sure Japan has many places you could visit and learn the history of.
Actually, around the world, almost everywhere you go, there is some history to
learn.
Well, let's get started with our lesson today - Chuuk: The South Pacific's
Historic Treasure.
Open up your magazine.
We'll begin with the first reading.
(Music).
Chuuk: The South Pacific's Historic Treasure.
This Micronesian state is an adventure - on land and under water!
Far out in the South Pacific lies a tiny country with a lot of history, the
Federated States of Micronesia.
During World War II it was an important Japanese base in the Pacific arena.
Today it is a top choice for adventurous travelers and a mecca for wreck divers.
Four states make up Micronesia - Kosrae, Pohnpei, Yap and Chuuk - and each has
its own flavor.
Korsae is a lesser-developed tropical paradise.
Pohnpei is home to the ruins of the stone city of Nan Madol, a must-see for
visitors.
Yap offers true island tradition, complete with village chiefs and thatched-roof
huts.
Well, we're getting to know about these different places within Micronesia.
Let's go back to the very beginning here.
This Micronesian state is an adventure - on land and under water.
So we'll be learning mostly about Chuuk in our lesson.
This Micronesian state, or place, is an adventure on land and, of course, under
water.
Which I think is very interesting since when I visit a place, I don't usually
think of it as being an adventure underwater and on land.
But here we're going to see how much fun you can have if you go to the island of
Chuuk and you look under the water.
That's right.
So let's begin in our text.
Far out in the South Pacific lies a tiny country with a lot of history, the
Federated States of Micronesia.
The Federated States.
Well, if something is federated, that means it's united under a central
government.
So there are many islands there in Micronesia under a central government.
That's right.
And we see what kind of history they have.
During World War II it was an important base in the Pacific arena.
So these states, the Federated States of Micronesia, have an important history
that took place during World War II because it was an important Japanese base in
the Pacific arena.
That's right.
Well, let's take a look at that word "arena." It's from our Word Bank.
An arena is a place where you might see events, or a place where events happen.
Usually I think of an arena as something that people build.
Maybe a big building of some kind, and maybe you can go and see concerts - like
the Taipei Arena is like that.
But Carolyn, here it's a little bit different, right?
That's right.
Usually we think of it as a building, a place you see a sporting event or a
concert.
But this is talking about just a place where an event happens.
And here talking about the Pacific arena was an important place during World War
II where a lot of battles occurred.
That's right.
So battles are a kind of event as well.
That's why we can call this the Pacific arena.
Well, today it is a top choice for adventurous travelers and a mecca for wreck
divers.
So many people are choosing to go here, many people who love adventure.
But Carolyn, what does that word mean, "mecca"?
Mecca.
Well, mecca just means it's a place where people like to go because there is
something very famous there or something very special,
and it becomes a popular destination, so.
This island is a mecca for wreck divers because there's something special there
that divers who enjoy going to wrecks really want to see.
That's right.
Well, you could use this word "mecca" to talk about something that's famous for
another kind of thing.
Like, for instance, if you enjoy skiing, go and visit Aspen, Colorado.
That is a mecca for skiers.
Well, now you know how to use that word.
Let's talk about our word from the Word Bank.
It is "adventurous." Are you an adventurous person?
Do you love adventure?
That's right.
If you are an adventurous person, then you do like going on adventures.
You like things that are exciting, thrilling, maybe even a little bit dangerous.
That's right.
So, do you enjoy adventures?
Where will you go next?
Well, if you do enjoy adventures, and you like diving, then maybe you'd like to
check out Chuuk.
It is a mecca for wreck divers.
And we found out a little bit more here.
Four states make up Micronesia.
Carolyn, what are they?
Korsae, Pohnpei, Yap and Chuuk; and each has its own flavor.
And here again we're talking about flavor being just something special about the
place.
They all have their own special atmosphere.
That's right.
So we're mostly learning about Chuuk in our lesson.
But of course, our writer wanted to give us a little bit about each of these
places.
So Korsae is a lesser-developed tropical paradise.
Uh, what do we find out about Pohnpei?
Well, Pohnpei is home to the ruins of the stone city Nan Madol, a must-see for
visitors.
And let's take a look at that phrase: must-see.
If this is a must-see destination, what does that mean, Gabe?
Well, Carolyn, that means you must see it.
So usually we see these words as two separate words, and "must" is a verb.
You must go and see this.
Here it's a noun.
That sight is a must-see.
For example, if you ever visit Rome, there are many buildings there that are
must-sees.
It is a must-see.
You must see the Coliseum.
It is a must-see.
That's right.
Well, we learn some more about the next island - Yap.
Yap offers true tradition, complete with village chiefs and thatched-roof huts.
It sounds like a very interesting place to go as well.
That's right.
I had some friends who went to visit Yap, and they really enjoyed their time
there.
Well, of course wherever you go, it's good to get to know the people of that
place.
Mostly we'll be learning about Chuuk, but for now it's time for us to learn more
with Steve and Ken in the Information Cloud.
And then we'll join Michelle in the Language Lab.
Silent letters are a lot like mosquitoes.
They're hard to detect, and they're annoying.
Just the other day I was listening to a man give a fabulous speech.
His English was great, except for one word he mispronounced again and again -
debt.
Which is spelled D-E-B-T.
And the "B" should be silent.
But, much to my chagrin, he kept pronouncing that "B," and it sounded like he
was saying "debit" - a related but different word.
Now I bring this up as reminder to be careful.
Because no matter how long we've been speaking English, silent letters can
unexpectedly appear and bite us.
Well, as irritating as they are, there are rational reasons for their existence.
One is that during the Renaissance, there was something of a classical language
revival.
At that time, scholars in England felt compelled to tweak the spelling of
English words, reforming them to fit the Latin ideal.
That's when "debt," formerly spelled D-E-T-T-E, got its silent B, and so became
more like its Latin root debitum.
Many other words aquired a silent letter during this time too, including doubt,
receipt and island.
Speaking of island, can you detect the other two words from today's lesson that
have a silent letter?
See if you can find them.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).