节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-03-26
难易度:Low
关键字:performance, barrier, facial, prop, performer, out of thin air, illusion
Well, we're learning more about miming today.
And we found out in the 1500s that it became a form of street performance in
Italy.
People would use it to make fun of different aspects of society.
And of course, mime breaks many language barriers.
Just like maybe you think about Mr. Bean today.
He acts silently, and people of all cultures can understand this from the silent
actor.
He's broken many language barriers, and so have people who like to do mime.
We're going to learn a little bit more about mime right now in the second part
of our reading for the day.
(Music).
The Art of Mime.
Mime like a pro.
Want to try mime?
Try communicating only through body language; no talking allowed.
Watch people's facial expressions and gestures closely and practice copying
them.
Create a story to act out - this will be more interesting to your audience.
No props?
No worries!
You can create anything you need out of thin air.
The most important thing is to believe your illusion.
If you believe it's real, your audience will, too!
(Music).
Well, you, too, can be a mime.
As you see this section is called "Mime like a pro." So if you're interested in
being a mime, you should pay attention.
What does Jo say first, Gabe?
She says, "Want to try mime?" Maybe this interests you.
Want to try it?
She says try communicating only through body language; no talking allowed.
Shh.
No talking allowed.
And next one of her tips is that you should watch people's facial expressions
and gestures closely and practice copying them.
Now we talked about this word "gestures" before.
But there's another word here - facial - that we want to talk about today.
It is a key word today in our Word Bank.
So let's talk about this word: facial.
Now when you hear the word "facial," what should you think of, Carolyn?
Well, you should think of your face.
If something is facial, then it has to do with your face.
And we have facial expressions.
So if you smile, then you have a happy facial expression.
Maybe you are not happy, so you frown.
What are some other facial expressions, Gabe?
Well, if you're unhappy, you would frown.
If you are angry, you might get really red.
People can tell if you're angry.
Maybe you're kind of shy, and you do things with your eyes so that you show that
you don't like to talk to people.
Those are different facial expressions.
Nathanael, do you enjoy creating different facial expressions?
Ah, I do enjoy facial expressions sometimes, but they can go overboard at times,
you know.
OK. The next sentence says:
Create a story to act out - this will be more interesting to your audience.
OK.
Create something, act it out.
You can use facial expressions to do something like this, and gestures as well.
OK. And next what does it say, Carolyn?
Well, it tells us: No props? No worries!
And "props," no props.
"Props" is one of our key words today from our Word Bank.
A prop is something you use to support your performance.
So if you're performing something, you might need props to help your audience
understand what you're doing.
What else might a prop be used for, Gabe?
Well, your prop, I do think of performances as well.
Um... and if you are creating a scene of some kind, then it might be helpful to
have a prop.
So I don't know if you like acting or not, but maybe you can try performing with
props, or you can also try just being like a mime perform without props.
We see these couple of sentences: No props? No worries!
That's short for:
You don't have any props?
Well, don't worry about it.
That's right, because you can create anything you need out of thin air.
You don't have to have it there in your hand, you can act like you have it. OK.
Now let's talk to Steve and Ken in the Information Cloud.
Hi, friends.
Did you catch it?
An unmistakably Australian phrase written by an unmistakably American author.
Of course, we're talking about "No worries!" Identified as the most common
phrase in the Australian vocabulary,
"no worries" means that's all right or no problem.
But when an Australian says it, it can mean so much more.
Right.
"No worries" conveys an attitude of friendliness, good humor and optimism.
"No worries" sums up the Australian lifestyle so well that many have lobbied for
it to be the country's official national motto.
Now some of you may remember the 1986 Australian movie Crocodile Dundee or the
1990's TV show The Crocodile Hunter.
They help introduce "no worries" to America.
Then some say it was during the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics that "no worries"
became permanently fixed in the American vocabulary.
More and more Australian words and phrases are finding a home in the American
vernacular like "good on you," an expression of congratulations meaning well
done.
And the word "barbie." Of course, that's Australian for barbecue.
"Outback" refers to wild, remote areas.
Now one of these days we should have a barbie in the outback, Ken.
Good idea, mate.
(Chinese).
It is useful to know some of the phrases and special vocabulary used in
different countries, so.
Thank you.
Moving on in our article, it says the most important thing is to believe your
illusion.
If you believe it's real, your audience will, too.
So if you believe what you're doing is real even if you don't have something in
your hand and you're just acting it out, your audience will believe it, too.
Now we have mentioned this word "illusion" here.
What exactly does that mean quickly, Carolyn?
Well, an illusion is something that is not real, but you think that it is real.
You make an illusion.
And I think we have some more information here in our review skit.
And then we'll see Michelle in the Language Lab.
Oh! Let's see...
You've got a shirt with stripes.
You've got white gloves.
And you're wearing a funny hat.
Let's see, what comes to mind?
Um, let me think.
Mime!
Mime comes to mind, right?
But mime is the art of acting without using speech.
That's right.
And you're not doing mime because you are talking.
Oops! You're right.
But since I'm talking, let me tell you more about mime.
Well, OK.
What else do you have to say?
The word "mime" can mean the performance or the one who performs.
And how did mime begin?
It began as communication.
It's one of the earliest forms of self-expressions.
Oh, like using body language to communicate?
Right.
It began in ancient Greece.
When the Romans conquered Greece, they took mime back to Italy.
Oh. Well, what about street performances?
Oh. Those began in the mid-1500s in Italy.
Because masks hid their faces, mimes could make fun of society.
I'm sure everybody enjoyed that.
Yes, young and old, rich and poor.
Mimes also traveled around Europe.
Yeah, why not?
No words, no language barriers.
That's right.
Mime became especially popular in France, where famous characters helped shape
the mime of today.
I see.
So what do you think?
I think you should stop talking.
(Music).
OK.
(Chinese).
And now back to our lesson.
Well, I'm glad that we talked about mimes today because I've never seen one on
the street performing.
Carolyn, did you learn anything about mimes today?
Oh... Oh, she's got the magic gloves of silence on.
OK.
So we have to guess what she's trying to communicate to us.
Yes. OK.
We're ready.
Right.
Yeah, you're... one point.
One time.
One time.
I saw two...
A second time...
A second...
A couple of...
Or... oh!
It's a rabbit!
It's not two. It's a rabbit.
That's a rabbit!
That's...
Hey, that's good. That's good.
No, no rabbit. No rabbit.
A queen! A queen and her hat.
Prince?
Likes to dress...
Royal...
OK. This is kind of interesting.
No.
Beard... mustache.
Oh, no... a smiling beard.
Smiling beard.
Yeah, beards can smile, too.
Oh... or frown?
No, a frown?
Oh. Carolyn, this act of mime is really difficult.
What is she trying to say?
Guys, there are different kinds of mimes, different characters.
I learned that today.
Oh! OK, I get it. Very nice.
Well, you did a very good job.
Sorry, we didn't pick up on that.
Friends, we've had a lot of fun learning about The Art of Mime.
And we hope to see you next time right here on Studio Classroom.
Bye-bye.