节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-04-13
难易度:Medium
关键字:let someone down, potential, sketch, informed
Hey, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
I'm Carolyn.
And thank you for joining us for the second day of our lesson called How Do You
Choose a Career?
We enjoyed a conversation between Helen and Robert yesterday.
Helen thinks that maybe you should take a career quiz, something that can help
you figure out your personality and your interests.
And Robert says he's just going to rely on what his parents want.
How do you choose a career?
And when should you start thinking about your career and life?
Carolyn, what do you think?
When should you start thinking about this?
Well, I think it's really never too early or too late to start thinking about
your career.
If you are very young and you have a passion for something, you really love it,
then you should probably start thinking about jobs that have something to do
with it.
When I was young, I loved animals.
So I really wanted to be a veterinarian.
And I didn't end up being a veterinarian, but it was something I had a strong
interest in.
And whenever we talk about animals here at Studio Classroom, Carolyn always has
a lot to say.
So it does come in handy.
Well, let's get started by continuing this conversation between Helen and
Robert.
How Do You Choose a Career?
You should think about this more seriously.
What if you go to medical school and discover that you don't like studying
medicine?
I'll just deal with it and be a doctor anyway.
My parents have really high expectations for me, so I don't want to let them
down.
Would you really want to work at a job you don't enjoy?
A career test can help you determine what you like and are good at.
Hmm... Well, maybe that is a good idea.
Then maybe I could make a list of potential career options and talk to my
parents about them.
Well, that does sound like a good idea, Robert.
Let's go back to the beginning of this conversation.
Where is Helen?
Helen?
I'm right here, Gabe.
All right. OK.
You would be Helen today again.
Yes. I will be Helen. Thank you.
You should think about this more seriously.
What if you go to medical school and discover that you don't like studying
medicine?
Very good question.
What if you go there and discover that you don't like studying medicine?
Friends, usually I think of this word "discover" as finding a new place.
But here it's used in a different way.
You discover something about yourself - it's something new about yourself.
Well, this is a good question for Robert.
And Robert says:
I'll just deal with it and be a doctor anyway.
Well, I don't know if that sounds like a very good idea there, Robert.
I mean, if you're just going to deal with it, I'm... I'm not quite sure what you
mean.
Well, you know what, I think something that might help, Carolyn, is spending
time with Liz in the Grammar Gym.
Let's do that now.
Hi there, friends.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
And here's our Grammar Tip sentence from today's POINT OF VIEW article:
I'll just deal with it and be a doctor anyway.
Our focus today is on the phrase: to deal with it.
This is a very common phrase that native speakers use to talk about handling a
situation,
and usually it's about a situation that is uncomfortable or not pleasant.
And in the case of today's article, we see that Robert is responding to Helen's
question.
What if he finds out he doesn't enjoy going to medical school?
His answer?
He'll just face the situation and be a doctor anyway.
So what are things that people deal with?
We can say:
People have to deal with morning traffic.
Or, if you're at a busy airport: Passengers have to deal with long lines.
What about you?
What are some things that you have to deal with?
And if you'd like to see some more examples, you can check out today's Grammar
Tip section.
That's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
See you next time.
Thank you, Liz.
Well, Robert continues his line.
My parents have really high expectations for me, so I don't want to let them
down.
Oh, you don't want to let them down because they have high expectations.
Well, that's understandable.
They expect very big things from you, and you don't want to let them down.
Well, that is a phrase we want to look at: let someone down.
What does that mean, Gabe?
Well, someone might have expectations for you.
They want you to do something or they expect that you will be a certain way.
And when you let them down, that means you disappoint them.
So this word actually can also... or these two words, to "let down," can also be
put into one word as a noun.
It could be called a letdown.
That was a letdown.
It was a disappointment.
Or it let me down; I was disappointed.
How else might you use that phrase?
Well, you might say, "I really need your help on this. Please and don't let me
down." I need your help very badly.
And I might say I'm sorry I let you down.
I couldn't help like I wanted to.
So Roberts' parents have high expectations for him.
Well, what other ways can you have expectations for something?
Maybe you have great expectations for a new restaurant opening down the street.
You think the food will be great.
You hope it doesn't let you down.
Well, I know some people that never let us down - Steve and Ken.
Let's go join them in the Information Cloud.
If you're a parent like me, you probably have high expectations for your child.
There's nothing wrong with that.
But as parents, we should be careful not to be too involved in our children's
lives.
If we do, we might turn into helicopter parents.
"Helicopter parent" is a colloquial term for a parent who pays extremely close
attention to their children's experiences and problems.
And why do we use this term "helicopter parent"?
Like a helicopter, a parent hovers over their children supervising everything
they do.
Now I understand the need to save your child from potential harm, but parents
should try to avoid becoming over-protective.
Experts warn that helicopter parents may deprive children of crucial
decision-making, problem-solving and confidence-building skills they'll need
later in life.
You know, I've heard of a student who couldn't find a class on campus.
And instead of approaching someone or seeking a map, called mom who was 2,000
miles away to find out where it is.
And therein lies the problem - a helicopter can't be hovering overhead forever.
You know, as a parent, I have to learn to let go and let my son face problems
and deal with them on his own.
Only when we allow our kids contact with life's problems can they become strong
and capable.
Now I'm not a parent, so I'm not one to give advice here.
But maybe parents can find something else to do besides worrying about their
kids.
Good point, Steve.
I think when I spend part of my energy on things other than my son, things get a
little better for everyone.
I think the fact that you're studying English with us right now instead of
checking if your son or daughter is studying English is a good sign.
(Chinese).
Helen continues on in the article.
She says: Would you really want to work at a job you don't enjoy?
A career test can help you determine what you like and are good at.
That is good.
That is good.
I want to take a look at that word "determine" because earlier this month, we
learned the word determination.
That means when you have a goal and you want to achieve it.
You're going to do it.
Here it's used a little bit differently.
When you determine what you like and what you are good at, that means you find
out what you like and what you are good at.
So this word "determine" can be used in different ways.
Well, Robert continues.
Hmm... Well, maybe that is a good idea.
Then maybe I could make a list of potential career options and talk to my
parents about them.
Well, that is a good idea, Robert.
We could make a list of potential career options.
And we see that word "potential." It's a word we want to talk about.
It means something in the future that is possible, so.
You have potential to do something or you can make a list of potential options.
How else can you use that word, Gabe?
Well, I like that you also used this word just now as a noun.
If someone has potential, that means maybe in the future they will be very good
at something or do very well at something.
They have potential in a certain area.
Maybe it's not developed right now, but they have potential.
And right here we're talking about a list of potential career options.
So maybe Robert will choose one of these options, one of these careers.
They are potential career options.
And then he can take his list and talk to his parents about them so that they
can discuss his career together.
This sounds like a really great idea.
I think so, too.
So he's going to make this list.
That means he's probably going to write these things down and then talk to his
parents about them.
Well, we're learning a lot through this conversation with Robert and Helen.
And we have more to learn.
But right now it's time for us to spend some time with Michelle in the Language
Lab.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.