节目资讯

刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-04-23
难易度:Medium
关键字:declare, barren, lumber, anchor, raucous, World Heritage Site, cockatoo
Today we are learning about things to do in Indonesia, beyond Bali, beyond this
popular tourist destination.
If you fly just an hour, a plane can land you on Flores.
And if you continue, you can go to the Komodo dragon park, the Komodo National
Park, which was declared a World Heritage Site.
And if you go during the dry season, it might be a little bit barren, not much
there, but it's still very interesting.
And we will find out more of what Linda and her husband did in the second part
of our article today.
Beyond Bali.
Our first stop was Rinca, home to about 1,300 Komodo dragons.
The warnings were clear.
Stay with your park guide; don't wander off the path; keep five meters away from
the dragons.
As we explored, we came across many Komodo dragons and even tracked one as it
lumbered along.
From Rinca, we sailed west and anchored near Komodo Island.
The next morning, we toured the island on foot.
Again, we came across lots of wildlife - dragons, deer and water buffalo.
And in one valley, many cockatoos flew about, filling the air with raucous
calls.
(Music).
It sounds like Linda and her husband were having an interesting time so far.
We read: Our first stop was Rinca, home to about 1,300 Komodo dragons.
Wow! It seems like maybe they'd be hiding in the bushes.
You never know where these Komodo dragons might be.
I said "thirteen hundred." Is there another way to say that number, Carolyn?
There is.
You could also say it is home to one thousand three hundred Komodo dragons.
So there are many ways to read that number in English.
That's right.
And we find out that this is home to these Komodo dragons.
That means they... they're comfortable there.
This is where they're used to, their home.
This place is home to Komodo dragons.
Well, Linda says the warnings were clear.
And what were the warnings?
The warnings were: Stay with your park guide; don't wander off the path; keep
five meters away from the dragons.
So very, very clear warnings because Komodo dragons are very dangerous animals.
That's right.
Well, five meters.
Um, I am about six feet.
That's about two meters.
I think maybe two and a half times my height.
You know, Carolyn, that doesn't really seem very far away.
I mean, I wouldn't want to be that close to the dragons.
I... I think I would try to stay more than five meters away from the Komodo
dragons.
That's right.
You do want to be careful around these Komodo dragons.
Well, Linda continues.
As we explored, we came across many Komodo dragons and even tracked one as it
lumbered along.
Hmm.
Well, I would definitely want the tour guide there with me if I was doing that.
Let's take a look at that word.
It is "lumber." and if something is lumbering along, that means it's moving
along.
But I get kind of a sense of maybe something is heavy or kind of awkward.
It's not smooth; it's kind of lumbering along.
How might you use that word?
Yes. This word "lumber," it does mean that something very heavy is moving
slowly, perhaps not very smoothly.
And a lot of times I think of maybe an elephant would lumber along.
If it's not running, just walking side to side, it kind of lumbers.
That's right.
It lumbers along.
If you talk about a human, you might say they trudge somewhere, T-R-U-D-G-E.
But usually I think of animals, big, heavy animals as lumbering along.
Well, we're talking about these Komodo dragons.
And I think it will be very interesting to see some in the wild and even maybe
track some as they lumber along.
But I wouldn't want to get too close.
How does the article continue, Carolyn?
Well, we see from Rinca, we sailed west and anchored near Komodo Island.
So they left the island of Rinca and anchored near Komodo Island - so another
one of the islands.
And we see this word "anchored." And that means that they must've taken a boat.
They took a boat from one island to the other and anchored at Komodo Island.
So... can you explain this word a little more, Gabe?
Yeah. Anchor, usually I think of it as a noun, a big ship might have an anchor.
You toss it into the ocean.
And then it keeps the ship steady.
It keeps it there.
It is anchored.
Uh, but of course, here we see it as a verb.
They sailed west and anchored near Komodo Island.
So it's the same idea.
They're stopping at a place so that they're stable and not moving.
The ship is not moving.
It is anchored.
That's right. And we continue.
The next morning, we toured the island on foot.
So they walked around the island on foot, not taking a car or any other form of
transportation.
Do you think this is a good way to see the island, Gabe?
Actually, that's a good question.
And yeah, I think it's a great way to see the island because then you're not
going too quickly.
You can catch more things.
You won't miss as many things.
So they're going on foot.
Well, we continue.
Again, we came across lots of wildlife - dragons, deer and water buffalo.
And then what happened next?
Well, we came across lots of wildlife.
So these are some words we want to talk about.
When you come across something, that means you encounter it.
Maybe you didn't plan on it, maybe you did, but it crossed your path.
How might you use that phrase?
Well, you might say I came across some amazing food when I was traveling on
Komodo Island.
Or I came across a very interesting creature when I was hiking in the woods.
That's right.
Or I might say I came across an interesting newspaper article about the Komodo
National Park.
So you can come across different things in different ways.
Well, our article continues.
In one valley, many cockatoos flew about, filling the air with raucous calls.
Ah, yes, cockatoos can be described as raucous.
Carolyn, have you seen cockatoos before?
Well, I have in a zoo, and they are very noisy.
They make these raucous calls.
And "raucous" just means to be very, very loud and noisy.
It's really not a pleasant sound.
That's right.
And "raucous" is a good word to know from our Word Bank.
It's a good word to describe these cockatoos as well.
It's kind of annoying, an annoying noise.
So cockatoos definitely make annoying noises, especially when there are many of
them flying about.
That's right.
Well, today we have something very special.
We have some pictures that Linda and her husband took while they were on Komodo
Island at this national park.
And then we'll join Michelle in the Language Lab.
(Music).
OK.
(Chinese).
And now, back to our lesson.
Well, we've definitely learned about some interesting scenery and interesting
animals in this lesson today.
And we, of course, talked all about Komodo dragons yesterday.
I am curious how you would feel being up close to a Komodo dragon.
Would you like that experience, Carolyn?
Well, I think that if I went with a group of people and had a good guide,
and we all followed these very clear rules, then I would love to go and see
Komodo dragons in the wild.
What about you, Gabe?
Yeah, I think so, too.
I would definitely want to have a guide there who knew what he was doing and who
understood these creatures.
Because, as you learned yesterday, if you even have any kind of blood on you, if
you have a cut or something, maybe the Komodo dragons can smell that.
They can smell the scent of blood for a far distance, a long distance away.
So be careful if you're going to visit and see these Komodo dragons.
Well, we do hope that you come back next time and learn more about Linda and her
husband's experiences - Beyond Bali.
Next time here on Studio Classroom.
Goodbye.