节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-12-01
难易度:Low
关键字:security, valuable, artistic, entry, peg, locksmith, break in
Welcome back, everybody.
Keys have long been a symbol of status.
If you see that someone has a lot of keys, then they must be important, right?
Well, it is true.
People will hold the keys have power.
That's because keys give access to rooms, buildings, elevators, desk drawers and
places where valuable stuff is kept.
OK. Let's return to our lesson about the History of Keys at the top of the
right-hand column.
(Music).
The History of Keys.
Key designs became more artistic in the 14th century.
Some European locksmiths became famous for making beautiful keys.
Kings invited them to design their castle keys.
As European cities grew in the 18th century, so did the number of thieves.
So locksmiths designed locks and keys that were better at preventing thieves
from breaking in.
Today, office workers and hotel guests open doors using electronic keycards,
cards that are used as keys.
There are even smartphone apps for gaining entry to one's home without a key.
Although traditional metal keys may one day disappear, the need for security
will remain.
Keys are important parts of our daily lives.
We use them for so many things: to get in and out of our homes, to use our
vehicles, to use public transportation,
sometimes even to get into our work buildings.
Keys are something you don't think about but are extremely important.
Today we're looking at the History of Keys.
Ryan, we started with them in the really, really early with big, wooden keys,
and we moved into the Roman times.
That's right, from 700 B.C.
That's a long time ago, over 2,500 years ago.
And they've really changed since then.
They were first made of wood.
And then they were made of metal by the Romans like a ring, right?
That's right.
So they went from being very large wood to being small metal.
And they used these to protect boxes full of valuables.
Well, later on, key designs became more artistic.
This happened in the 14th century.
OK. So hundreds and hundreds of years later, the key designs began to change.
And they're more artistic.
Friends, something that is "artistic" is very beautiful and well-designed to be
attractive.
That's right.
It's very skillfully done, which means it's done extremely well.
It's not just pretty or simple.
It's actually really good quality too.
So this is when the artistic designs for keys started happening.
Well, some European locksmiths actually became famous for just making beautiful
keys.
OK. So they're actually making these keys purposefully to be designed to be
beautiful.
And the "locksmiths" are the people who are making the keys.
Why is that, Kaylah?
Well, a locksmith is someone who you hire who makes or repairs keys and supplies
them.
If you see there word "lock" in there, that word "lock" is like the door.
They're the person who creates the locks and the keys to open them.
Today, you can still call a locksmith if you get locked out of your house.
They can come and use all their tools to get into your home.
Right. Or if you break a key, and you need it to be fixed, call a locksmith.
They'll help you out.
That's right.
Now kings even started to invite these locksmiths to design their castle keys,
the keys into the castle and to different rooms of their beautiful large homes.
OK. So kings themselves thought that these keys were beautiful enough for their
castles.
Of course, like Kaylah said, a castle is similar to a palace.
It's a big, very large, beautiful home designed for royalty.
Now as European cities started growing in the 18th century - so just one century
later - well, so did the number of thieves.
Whoo, OK, so.
Thieves started becoming more numerous.
There's more of them.
That's right.
So it's interesting.
As a city grows, more people are living there.
There are more people living close together, which means thieves became more...
There's just more of them, a higher number of them because there was more things
to be stolen.
Yeah, exactly.
So this is a problem now, Kaylah.
In this time, there are more people trying to steal things.
And so you have to find a way to stop them from doing, right?
That's right.
So locksmiths designed locks and keys that were better at preventing thieves
from breaking in.
So instead of focusing more on the beautiful design, they started focusing on
how can we make it difficult to get into a place.
Exactly.
Well, like you said, Kaylah, getting in somewhere is similar to breaking in.
But when you "break in" to a place, that means you get into a building or a car
but you're not supposed to be there.
You break in by using force.
And it's not something you're supposed to do.
You're not supposed to be in there.
So you can't use a key, you break a window or you... you pull the door, you
break the door or something.
That is to break in.
You are getting in without permission.
And you want to prevent that.
When you prevent something, then you stop it from happening usually before it
happens.
That's right.
Well, that's not where keys stopped.
Today, office workers and hotel guests open doors using electronic keycards.
Ooh. Now this is true.
At hotels especially, you use what's called an electronic keycard.
Electronic means it uses electricity.
And a keycard is just a card that is used as a key.
That's right.
It has some sort of code in it that can be read through the door and the lock.
Now there are even smartphone apps for gaining entry into one's home, into...
into one's location without even using a key.
Exactly. The word "entry" here means you're able to get into a place.
That's right.
So keys are progressing.
You can use your cell phone with different apps.
You can use electronic keys.
And you know, we do use traditional metal keys but not as often.
Exactly.
Traditional metal keys may one day disappear, but the need for security will
always remain.
That's right.
So even though we might not have the same metal keys that we have always had,
security will always be important.
You'll always need to protect your home.
OK. Now we've got some interesting information for you.
We hope you've learned a lot.
So now let's visit Liz with Grammar on the Go.
And then go to the Chat Room.
Hello, friends.
Greetings from Singapore.
So we've been talking about keys in today's article.
And the writer ends with this sentence:
Although traditional metal keys may one day disappear, the need for security
will remain.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Our focus today is on the sentence pattern:
Although something may disappear, the need for something else will remain.
This is a great sentence pattern to use when you want to talk about how even
though something may be gone,
but there will be something else that will still be with us, and we might have
to continue to pay attention to it.
In the case of today's sentence, the writer is saying that just because we may
not have traditional keys in the future,
it doesn't mean we no longer have to care about security.
There might not be traditional keys in the future, in other words, but we...
we'll still care about security.
OK, time for some example sentences.
Although many experts say that traditional books may disappear someday, the need
to read will remain.
Or: Although fossil fuels will someday disappear, the need for energy will
remain.
So friends, give this sentence pattern a try.
Think of something that may disappear but our need for something else will
continue.
And that's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go, signing off, in Singapore.
Bye-bye.
(Music).
So your cousin from Taiwan is visiting you.
Yep. And I can't wait to show him around.
Wow! So where are you going to take him?
Well, I was thinking of the art museum, the outlet mall and maybe one of our
famous restaurants.
Hmm, famous restaurants?
Ken, there aren't any famous restaurants in our town, are there?
Sure. I was thinking either Fat Joe's or Gibson's Diner.
Ken, those places aren't famous.
What do you mean, they're not famous?
Every time I go to either one of them, there's always a long line of people
outside waiting to get a table.
Yeah. But you don't call that famous.
Those places are just popular.
Popular? Doesn't popular mean famous?
Uh, not quite.
A famous place or person is very well-known.
If Fat Joe's is really famous, then you'll find people from all over the country
eating there.
OK. That's not quite Fat Joe's.
Most of their customers are locals.
That's right.
So even though it's packed all the time, it's not really famous.
What about well-known?
Well-known is not as well-known as famous implies.
So yes, you can certainly say that Fat Joe's and Gibson's Diner are well-known
in our town.
Thanks, Bryan.
I'll keep that in mind when I introduce those restaurants to my cousin.
Well, let me know how he likes them.
Will do.
(Chinese).
(Music).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And I guess we have to say goodbye now.
I'll see you next time.
Bye-bye.
Thank you, Michelle.
We appreciate that.
Now the common, flat, metal key has been around for hundreds of years.
But soon it'll be as obsolete as those giant, wooden keys used in ancient times.
Yes, the way we open locked doors is changing.
Certain hotels and office buildings are already using plastic swipe cards.
And in the near future, plan on unlocking doors with your eye or thumb - two
things that unlike traditional metal keys will be a little more difficult to
lose.
Friends, have a safe and secure weekend.
And then join us Monday for a new lesson.
Take care.