节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-01-08
难易度:Medium
关键字:(it's) about time, time after time, ahead of one's time, time on one's
hands, in the blink of an eye
Well, so far we've learned that the professor, time after time, has tried to
change the world but hasn't quite been successful yet.
And most people make fun of him because of that.
But there's much more to the professor's story.
Let's go into the second reading to find out what else he will do and what his
next big experiment will be.
(Music).
It's About Time.
One day, after teaching his classes at the university, the professor had some
time on his hands.
He decided to stop at a coffee shop and think.
And think he did.
He thought so hard that steam came out of his ears.
Then, in the blink of an eye, an idea hit him.
It didn't hurt much, but he did rub his head a little.
"Of course!" he exclaimed.
"A time machine!" He realized it was an idea that had come at the right time.
Well, it sounds like the professor is having a time coming up with his ideas.
And we see at the beginning of this reading:
One day, after teaching his classes at the university, the professor had some
time on his hands.
Now here we see a key word phrase from our Word Bank: time on his hands, or to
have time on your hands.
Does that mean that you're holding time in your hands, Gabe?
Um, no... That doesn't mean you're holding time in your hands.
It means you have extra time.
You have time to spare.
Maybe you have some free time.
You've got some time on your hands.
It's a cool idiom to know.
Oh, OK. I see.
So it doesn't actually mean you hold time, you just have extra time.
So here the professor was able to think with a little extra time.
Nathanael, what do you do if you have some time on your hands?
Well, I thought that meant I wear a watch.
But uh... I guess that um, if a student is taking a test and finishes early,
he'll have a lot of time on his hands while he waits for the others to finish.
Hey, that's a pretty good example.
Exactly. You have time on your hands.
You're not exactly sure what to do with yourself.
I think usually we use this phrase when we really don't have many other things
to do or we're not sure what to do.
If we have a lot of things to do, then of course we don't really have time on
our hands.
We're spending it doing other things.
But I think of someone may be taking their clothes to the laundromat and washing
their clothes, they have about an hour on their hands.
They have time on their hands where they can just maybe sit and read a book and
wait for the laundry to get finished.
Well, time on his hands.
And we found out the professor decided to stop at a coffee shop and think.
And think he did.
I like that phrase.
And think he did.
This is just kind of a phrase that you can use when you're writing in English or
telling a story - and think he did, or and think she did.
Or when you're talking about some verb that someone is doing, and you can use
that verb.
How else can you use that phrase, Carolyn?
Well, if someone is in a race, they want to run very fast.
So you could say: She wanted to win, and she needed to run. And run she did.
And run she did.
What about you, Nathanael?
How else could you use that phrase?
Well, we usually use this phrase for emphasis, I think, maybe more than
anything.
And I think this professor can be used again in this situation: And try he did.
Try he did.
He tried to do this, he tried to do that, tried to do all of these things to
make a big difference in the world.
And try he did.
Even if it didn't always work, he tried really hard.
That's right.
He tried really hard.
Maybe you are a writer, and you want to write more.
Well, write you did.
Or you're talking about someone who wants to do something more, and that they
did.
Well, he thought so hard that steam came out of his ears.
Um, is that true, Nathanael?
Does steam come out of his ears?
Well, it's never happened to me before, but I guess it just means that his mind
was working really hard.
His mind was working so hard.
And actually I've seen some cartoons where someone is so angry or thinking so
hard that looks like steam is coming out of their ears.
It's kind of fun.
Well, how do we continue the story, Carolyn?
It says: Then, in the blink of an eye, an idea hit him.
And we see another Word Bank phrase there: in the blink of an eye.
And if you blink your eye, it's very quick.
So it means he thought very quickly and came up with an idea.
Can you do something in the blink of an eye, Gabe?
Can I do something in the blink of an eye?
I'm not that fast.
But yes, sometimes I... I'll say I'll be there in the blink of an eye.
That means I'll be there as soon as I can.
Nathanael, what can you do in the blink of an eye?
Well, I'm not that fast either.
But you know, the other day I was looking at a beautiful bird, and I wanted to
show a friend.
And I told him to turn the head, and it was already gone.
It disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Oh, man. Those birds are so quick.
The blink of an eye, an idea hit the professor.
It didn't hurt much.
Ah, this is funny.
Our author is being funny.
An idea can hit you.
Of course it doesn't hurt because it's abstract, an idea.
But the professor he did rub his head a little.
"Of course!" he exclaimed.
"A time machine!" He realized it was an idea that had come at the right time.
And I think we're out of time for right now.
We need to do and enjoy a review skit.
Hello, professor.
What are you doing at the coffee shop?
I had some time on my hands, so I came here to think.
Oh? What are you thinking about?
I'm dreaming up a new invention, one that will change the world.
Professor, can you really change the world?
You can't even change a light bulb.
That... that's a joke.
I'm going to ignore it.
I'm not about to give up.
Professor, you say that time and time again, but so far your amazing ideas
haven't changed anything.
That's just because I'm ahead of my time.
So what's your invention idea this time?
Well, I have an... no idea.
Ouch, ouch!
Are you OK?
What happened?
It suddenly hit me.
What? What hit you?
An amazing idea.
It came in in the blink of an eye.
I'll... I'll invent a time machine.
Professor, that's not a new idea.
People have been talking about time travel for years and years.
Yes, but not just any old time machine.
My invention will also create time.
Ah... A machine that creates time?
Yes! I've got to hurry.
I'm running out of time.
(Music).
That was a great review skit.
And I think it's about time we go see Michelle in the Language Lab.
(Music).
All right.
(Chinese).
And if you have some time on your hands, don't forget to review our key words
today.
Well, we've been talking about the professor.
We've been learning about his story.
He wanted to come up with an idea that was unique and creative, something that
would change the world.
And he came up with an idea to create a time machine.
This is the end of our story for today, but we do have more next time.
Some stories are like that.
They are to be continued, and you just wonder what will happen next.
Nathanael, what do you think will happen next with this professor?
Well, the professor is not the first one to try to make a time machine.
We've heard about this idea before.
And I hope he can do it, but he doesn't have a really good track record.
He doesn't... he hasn't always been successful in the past.
It's true.
Time after time, he has been shut down by other people.
They just liked to joke around about him.
What about you, Carolyn?
What do you think will happen next time with the professor?
Well, it... he might be a little bit ahead of his time.
Making a time machine is not an easy thing to do.
I don't think so either.
Well, we'll see what happens next time.
But for now, thank you for joining us this time here on Studio Classroom.
We'll see you next time again. Goodbye.