节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-01-17
难易度:Medium
关键字:respectful, walk of life, errand, curl, doorstep, Othordox Jew
Well, we're continuing the story that Joe had experienced in New York City.
And we found out that she met different people from different walks of life.
It's been a very interesting time so far.
We have a little bit more to learn, so let's get started with the second part of
our reading for today.
(Music).
A Lesson in Culture.
By the end of my internship, I was a little older, a little wiser and sick of
big city life.
I hated the skyscrapers, tourists and the high price I had to pay for a
cheeseburger and fries.
But I had grown, too.
I was quicker, smarter and more independent.
I knew I would miss that feeling of having the world right at my doorstep.
But it was good preparation for the life of travel I'd soon begin.
Joe says: By the end of my internship, I was a little older, a little wiser and
sick of big city life.
She was sick of big city life.
Carolyn, does that mean that she was like really sick and in a hospital and ill
because of big city life?
Well, it will be really terrible if she had to go to the hospital because of big
city life.
Yeah.
But here, being sick of something just means that you're really tired of it, and
you don't want to do it anymore.
OK. So maybe you've experienced something for a long time, you've been doing
something for a long time,
you don't want to do it anymore, you can say: I'm sick of it!
I'm sick of all this homework.
I hate all of this homework.
How else can you use that phrase, Nathanael?
Sometimes I do feel like I'm sick of rice and noodles.
When I'm living here in Asia, I feel like sometimes that's the only thing to
choose.
But sometimes there are other things that I can find, so it's OK.
It is OK.
Well, of course, if you have the same meal every day, you will probably get sick
of it.
What else can you get sick of?
Well, I hope you never say "I'm sick of Studio Classroom." That's right.
Nobody should ever be sick of Studio Classroom.
It's wonderful.
Well, continuing on.
Joe says: I hated the skyscrapers, tourists and the high price I had to pay...
Wait a minute.
Joe, here at Studio Classroom, hated tourists?
A teacher here hates people?
What does she mean by this?
No... She doesn't mean that she "hates" people.
She just means that, again, she's tired of having to deal with them, to have to
meet them every day.
It can get a little bit annoying.
OK. It can. And yes, it's true.
Sometimes you can use this word "hate" to just emphasize a certain feeling you
have.
Maybe you don't really, really hate something because that is a very strong
emotion.
But in writing or speaking, you can still use this word - Ah, I hate that.
How else could you use this, Nathanael?
You know, sometimes I have to say I see a person in the movie, it's an actor I
don't really like.
I might even say: Man, I hate that guy.
Of course, I don't have anything wrong with the person.
I just think they're annoying to watch.
OK. So you don't really hate somebody or something, but you can use this word to
emphasize the feelings you have.
Well, Joe continues.
She says that she did not like the skyscrapers and tourists.
She hated them, or the high price that she had to pay for a cheeseburger and
fries.
But she had grown, too.
And how did she grow, Carolyn?
She was quicker, smarter and more independent.
And she knew that she would miss the feeling of having the world right at her
doorstep.
Having the world right at my doorstep.
"Doorstep" is one of our Word Bank words today.
It's a really simple word to remember.
I mean, in the front of your house or apartment, there might be a doorstep
that's right in front of your door.
Um, but we see this phrase: something at my doorstep, or having the world at my
doorstep.
Carolyn, what does that mean?
Well, it means that you feel like you can do anything or go anywhere just by
walking out of your house.
That's right. It's right there.
Nathanael, do you think that you feel this way when you're in New York?
Well, because there are so many different people from different places and so
many places to go and things to do,
you might feel like the world is at your doorstep when in this big city.
That's right.
The world is at your doorstep.
And this word "doorstep" is a special kind of word that's called a compound
word.
Maybe we can talk about that - compound words.
We saw some other ones in this lesson: skyscraper, cheeseburger, doorstep.
There are words that actually combine two words like "door" and "step." So
Nathanael, what are some other examples of compound words?
You know, we actually talked about one other compound word in today's article:
lifestyle, adding "life" and "style" together to form its own word.
That's right, lifestyle, doorstep.
Carolyn, what's another compound word?
Well, another one in this article is Chinatown.
So it's like a town in China, Chinatown.
That's right.
Well, there's many different examples of compound words.
I can think of a few like butterfly, eyelash, popcorn.
I love popcorn.
What are some other compound words?
Write them down.
Joe says: It was good preparation for the life of travel I'd soon begin.
And she works here at Studio Classroom.
She has been traveling a lot.
Right now it's time for us to look at a little skit.
Let's enjoy that now.
Don't you just love New York City!
Actually, I feel like I'm living in a foreign culture.
I'm not surprised.
New York is home to people of all walks of life, from all corners of the world.
Yeah. Things are so different here that when I move from Texas, I had culture
shock.
Whoa, in your own country.
How unexpected.
Yeah. There's constant traffic and noise and people and lights.
I'm used to a relaxed pace.
New York moves so fast.
Yeah. And the city never sleeps.
So what are you doing here?
I had an internship.
I ran errands for a shop.
What about your free time?
Well, I spent hours wandering Canal Street in Chinatown.
Oh! So you like visiting Asian countries?
Actually, Chinatown is the closest I've been.
So how do you feel about your experience in New York?
I'm a little older and wiser now.
I'm quicker and smarter and more independent.
Ooh. That's good.
But I'm sick of city life.
I'm tired of the skyscrapers, the tourists and the high prices.
Oh. So you're ready to move on.
Yes. I'll miss having the world at my doorstep.
But now I'm ready for a life of travel.
Goodbye, New York City.
(Music).
That skit was great.
Now let's go and see Michelle in the Language Lab.
OK.
(Chinese).
Let's get back to the teachers.
Thank you, Michelle.
Of course, we've talked about people with many different walks of life today.
I want to ask you, Carolyn.
Did you experience anything culturally as you've traveled in your life?
Well, you know, I spent some time in Japan when I was in high school, and one
instance does come to mind.
I bought a soda there called the Dr. Pepper.
And it was one of my favorite drinks in the United States.
But when I purchased it in Japan, everyone was very confused because apparently,
they think it's a drink for boys, and girls don't really like the taste there.
So, that was a really... a big cultural shock for me.
Wow. That is a unique cultural difference.
I know a lot of girls in America who like Dr. Pepper.
Mmhm.
Well, that's it for us today.
Please come back and join us on Studio Classroom.
Bye-bye.
Goodbye.