节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-01-30
难易度:Low
关键字:tourist, landscape, guest of honor, flock
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
I'm Carolyn.
And I'm Nathanael.
And today you are joining us for our last lesson here in January: The American
Bald Eagles.
Well, America is known for a lot of things.
What comes to your mind when you think of America?
Carolyn, what comes to your mind?
Well, the first thing I think of is the American flag with its 50 stars
representing the 50 states.
All right.
That's great.
Well, what comes to your mind, Nathanael?
For me, personally, I just think about my college days.
They weren't that long ago.
But I didn't live in the United States for a long time, and then I moved back
for college.
Well, for some reason, what comes to my mind is the national parks.
I think of Yosemite and the Grand Canyon.
Of course, something different might come to your mind.
What comes to your mind when you think of America?
We're going to be talking about America's bald eagles, the American bald eagle,
which is the national symbol, the national bird of America.
Right now let's get started with our first reading for today.
(Music).
The American Bald Eagle.
America's national symbol draws crowds.
On a cold winter morning, I boarded a bus in Tennessee's Reelfoot Lake State
Park.
Thousands of tourists visit the park each year because of its unique beauty and
interesting history.
The lake was formed in 1812 when a very strong earthquake struck.
Because official records weren't kept then, no one knows exactly how strong it
was.
But two things are certain.
The landscape was changed completely, and Reelfoot's 18,000-acre lake was
formed.
Well, right at the beginning under our title, we see "America's national symbol
draws crowds." Yes.
Probably the most famous national symbol in America is the bald eagle... well,
one of the most famous national symbols,
although I think there are a couple other famous national symbols.
Carolyn, what's another national symbol?
Well, as we mentioned before, the flag is a national symbol.
And each nation has their own flag that represents them.
OK.
What's another national symbol that you might think of when you think of
America?
There is one that's on some of the American money - the Liberty Bell.
This bell is well-known now.
And I think it does make us think of freedom with "Let Freedom Ring" these
words.
And speaking of liberty, I think of the Statue of Liberty.
That's another American national symbol.
Of course, today we are talking about the national bird, the bald eagle.
And this draws crowds.
OK. When you draw a crowd, that means you do something to attract people to
something.
You draw a crowd.
Nathanael, how could you use this phrase?
Yeah. If I wanted to attract a lot of attention, I guess one of the easiest
things I could do is yell like that!
OK. Yes, you can draw a crowd by yelling.
If Studio Classroom was playing at a store somewhere, I'm sure everyone walking
by on the street is now watching Studio Classroom.
Hi, everybody.
So um, that's how Nathanael draws a crowd.
Carolyn, how do you draw a crowd?
Well, if I wanted to draw a crowd, I would just take a pen and some paper and I
would start to draw lots of people on my paper.
Yes. OK.
You are literally drawing a crowd on a piece of paper.
Very clever, Carolyn.
Very good.
English is so fun.
That's how you draw a crowd.
Of course, this means you attract a crowd, not use a pen and draw lots of
people.
But very good. Very good. OK.
So the national symbol the bald eagle will draw crowds.
"On a cold winter morning..." I like the way this starts.
It's kind of like a good story.
On a cold winter morning, I boarded a bus in Tennessee's Reelfoot Lake State
Park.
All right. There are many state parks, many national parks.
What's another example of a national park in America?
Well, you can go to Yosemite National Park and see geysers, which are very cool
to watch.
Well, yes.
Actually, you could go to Yellowstone National Park and see some geysers.
Where else could you go?
What's another national park?
Well, I lived in Tennessee for a while.
And besides Reelfoot, another very famous one is the Great Smoky Mountain
National Park, which has beautiful scenery.
Right on! OK.
So there are national parks, like in all of the United States; and we're talking
about Tennessee's state park.
All right.
The state park is called Reelfoot Lake State Park.
Now thousands of tourists visit the park each year because of its unique beauty
and interesting history.
Thousands of tourists.
All right. Let's take a look at that Word Bank word: tourist.
A tourist is someone who visits a place because they want to go sightseeing.
They want to find out more about it.
It's famous.
They are there; they are touring as tourists.
Um, well, where could you see tourists, Carolyn?
Well, you can see tourists almost anywhere, in New York City, Washington D.C.,
or many state parks and national parks throughout the United States or the
world.
And have you ever been a tourist in a crowd of other tourists?
Well, I was often a tourist when I was traveling in Japan.
All right.
So you were a tourist in Japan.
And if you're visiting somewhere new, you are a tourist probably.
You might go to live somewhere, but you could also be a tourist and just get to
know the area a little bit.
Nathanael, was there a time that you were a tourist somewhere?
I have been to a few different places as a tourist.
I've been to Thailand, which was a great vacation.
We saw some great shows.
I was a tourist at elephant and crocodile shows in Thailand.
Well, you can do many things as a tourist.
I think of tourist attractions or tourist traps when I think of this word.
Nathanael, what is a tourist trap?
A tourist trap is like a city that is made specifically for a tourist.
It just gives them a lot of options for different shows, games, activities that
they can do there.
And so a lot of people like to avoid tourist traps.
Well, let's move on.
We find out the lake was formed in 1812 when a very strong earthquake struck.
We see that word "struck," or "stike." And now we're talking about natural
disasters that strike.
So what else could strike an area?
Well, a hurricane could strike an area.
And that can be very distructive.
But I don't always just think of a natural disaster.
I also think of maybe you strike a bell and make it ring.
OK. You can strike a bell with your hand or with a stick.
But here in the article, we are talking about a natural disaster, an earthquake,
that struck.
Well, because official records weren't kept then, no one knows exactly how
strong it was.
But two things are certain.
The landscape was changed completely, and Reelfoot's 18,000-acre lake was
formed.
That was a mouthful.
But we see another word there: landscape.
Nathanael, can you tell us about this word?
Yeah. When you think about landscape, think about where you are.
Is the landscape a mountain? Is it a valley?
Or is it a flat field like a plain?
All of these are different kinds of landscapes.
That's right.
There are other kinds of landscapes too.
I think of deserts or plateaus.
Uh, what are other kinds of landscapes?
Well, you could have a snowy landscape, or a flowery landscape.
All right.
Or Nathanael just mentioned mountains too.
We have valleys.
There is lots of different kinds of landscapes.
I'm sure you can name some other ones.
Try to do that in English.
Right now it's time for us to go on to the Information Cloud to see what Steve
and Ken have for us there.
Hello, gentlemen.
Hello.
Hi, teachers.
Steve, let's talk about national symbols since our lesson today focuses on
America's national symbol - the bald eagle.
Sure.
National symbols play a very important role in the life of a nation.
Representing common values, goals and history, they unite a country like few
things can.
Take flags, for example.
They've been used during wartime for thousands of years.
But it wasn't until the late 1700s that countries started flying these national
symbols in peacetime on a daily basis.
Other national symbols aren't as official or formal, but they are powerful
nonetheless.
The simple maple leaf, for example, has been the longtime favorite emblem of
Canada.
National symbols can be large, inanimate, manmade objects too.
Like China's Great Wall, Egypt's pyramids and the Statue of Liberty in the U.S.,
all strong symbols that stir up deep sentiments.
And some national symbols are shared among countries, like animals.
Did you know there are over a dozen countries that have made the lion part of
their national identity?
Hmm, I didn't know that.
Well, other national symbols include coat of arms, specific flowers, fruits,
trees, gemstones and natural geographic features like mountains and rivers.
And let's not forget the national anthem - the audio version of national
symbols.
(Chinese).
Thank you, gentlemen.
Well, Carolyn, what time is it right now?
Well, I think it's time to go see Michelle in the Language Lab.
Let's do that together.
Hello, Michelle.
Hi.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.