节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-12-10
难易度:Medium
关键字:loyal, defend, motivation, cuddly
Hi, everybody.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
So happy you've joined us today.
As always, my name is Steve.
If you remember last month's VIEWPOINTS feature discussed getting married, one
of the biggest decisions anyone could ever make.
Now in this month's VIEWPOINTS lesson, we'll look at another life-changing
decision not too far behind getting married.
It's whether or not to get a dog.
Now dogs are a lot of fun, but owning one is a big responsibility and a big
commitment.
So what should we know before we bring a cute puppy home?
Let's find out as we open our magazines to page 22 and meet Carrie, a potential
dog owner and her friend Hannah.
Do You Want a Dog?
Owning a dog can be fun, but it's also a lot of work.
I just love dogs.
I think I want to get one.
That's a pretty big decision.
Why do you want a dog?
I've always loved dogs.
When I was a child, our dog Scooby went everywhere with me.
Dogs make great pets because they're so loyal to their owners.
Exactly.
You know I live by myself, and sometimes I feel lonely.
A dog would be good company.
Some dogs are good at defending their owners, too.
Since you live alone, it might be helpful to have a dog that will bark and scare
away burglars.
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us here in the studio.
My name is Kaylah.
My name is Ryan.
Friends, do you or your family own a dog?
Maybe you do, maybe you don't.
And if you don't own a dog, do you want to?
Hmm. Do you want to own a dog?
Well, owning a dog can be fun, but it can also be a lot of work.
Now Kaylah, have you ever had a dog?
I have had a dog.
My dog's name was Snooky; and I had him for 16 years.
Wow!
Now would you say it was worth it for the amount of work?
Well, I was a kid, and so yes, of course it was because I got to play with him,
and I did have to learn responsibility to take care of him.
But I don't know, if... I don't know, it was a lot of work for my parents.
OK. Yeah, and I, too, had a dog.
Her name was Rosie, and we loved her very much.
But she was a lot of work.
Friends, dogs are a lot of fun, but you have to be able to commit to taking care
of them for their entire life.
So today we're going to look at a conversation between two ladies, Carrie and
Hannah.
And they're discussing should you get a dog or not.
Well, Ryan, we start off with Carrie who says: I just love dogs.
I think I want to get one.
Exactly.
So she's saying here she wants a dog; and she's talking to Hannah.
Hannah says: Well, of course you want a dog, but that is a pretty big decision.
That's right.
Now she says "I just love dogs." Does she only love them?
Why is she using the word "just" there?
Well sometimes, Kaylah, we'll use the word "just" in front of a phrase to
emphasize it.
Make it stronger.
If you just say "I love dogs," it sounds kind of normal.
But if you say "I just love dogs," it's very emotional.
OK. That's... that's right.
And she says it's a pretty big decision.
It's not beautiful.
It means... "pretty" here, before something that is "large," means it is... even
bigger than just the word "big." It's emphasizing the size of it.
So it's a pretty big decision.
Yeah. It's a quite, quite a big decision.
And she asks: Well, why do you want a dog?
Well, Carrie then says: I've always loved dogs.
Obviously, that's a good reason; she loves them.
And she says: When I was a child, our dog Scooby went with me everywhere.
OK. So she's had a dog before, Kaylah, like you and I, and now she's thinking of
getting a dog for herself that she will own.
And of course, as a child, it's fun when your dog goes with you everywhere
because you have someone to be with, it's exciting.
But is it really... is it something you can afford?
Is it the time?
Are you willing to give that up yet?
Exactly. Well, that's what Hannah wants to know.
Friends, dogs really are men's best friends, but they take a lot of work, like
Hannah says.
What does she say?
She says dogs really make great pets because they are so loyal to their owners.
This is true.
Dogs are just a perfect example of what it means to be loyal to someone.
OK. So if you are "loyal," that means you are committed.
You are willing to stay with someone and change... or go through... I'm sorry,
not changing your friendship with them.
That's right.
You're willing to go through life changes with them.
No matter what happens, you're with them forever.
You should be loyal to your friends and loyal to your family.
You can learn from dogs.
They are a perfect example.
OK. Yeah, dogs will follow you everywhere.
They'll always be there with you.
And dogs really do love their owners.
And Carrie says: Exactly.
You know I live by myself, and sometimes I feel lonely.
I understand that.
When you... if you live alone, if you don't have a roommate or a family,
sometimes it's too quiet.
And a dog helps fill that space.
Yeah. That's what being lonely feels like.
If you are lonely, that means you are sad because you are alone.
She says a dog would be good company.
And here "company" means somebody you are with.
Well, that is our Grammar on the Go sentence, so let's visit Liz.
Hi there, friends.
I hope you're all doing well today.
My name is Liz.
And it's time for Grammar on the Go.
I'm at a local pet supply store.
And our VIEWPOINTS article today is all about getting a dog, and the kinds of
benefits and responsibilities that come with it.
We read, "A dog would be good company." That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Today we're focusing on the word: company.
Normally, we use the word "company" to talk about a business organization, like:
Mike works for a toy company.
But in today's sentence, "company" has a different meaning.
Here it means: one to be with.
So today's Grammar Tip sentence just means having a dog is good because it can
be with you, and you won't feel lonely.
"Company" is a great word to use to talk about the kind of people who are with
you.
For example, if you have to work on a difficult job with some co-workers, and
they happen to be agreeable people, then you can say:
The job is not so difficult when you have agreeable company.
Or, if your friend is going somewhere, and you want to go with him or her, you
can say:
Would you like to have some company, or would you rather go there by yourself?
Now friends, if you turn to today's Grammar Tip section in your Studio Classroom
magazine, you'll find more example sentences there.
That's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go signing off.
Bye-bye.
Friends, dogs really do make great pets.
They're very loyal, and they make great company.
But they do take a lot of work.
That's right.
And Hannah makes another point about living alone.
She says some dogs are good at defending their owners too.
That is part of being loyal, but defending is even more than that.
Kaylah, this is why my family first got a dog because there were thieves that
broke into our house, and we needed to defend ourselves.
Now to "defend" something means to protect something against attack.
So it's to protect you from danger.
That's a great reason to have a dog.
They will support you if you... especially if you live alone, they'll let you
know if someone's coming in and they'll take care of you.
OK. So Hannah says to Carrie:
Since you live alone, it might be helpful to have a dog that would bark - that
means they make that loud sound that dogs always make - and that will scare away
burglars.
And "burglars" is another word for thieves or for someone stealing something.
We're going to talk more about getting a dog or not getting a dog after we visit
the Chat Room.
I'm sorry, sir, but you're barking up the wrong tree.
This is a library.
I'm a librarian, not an operator, so I'm not able to help you out.
Bye.
Oh, some people!
Is everything OK, Bryan?
Yeah.
This guy just called here and asked if I could give him the phone number of a
city council member.
I just can't understand what people are thinking sometimes.
I know you were pretty upset, but you didn't have to call him a dog.
Call him a dog?
When did I call him a dog?
Just now, on the phone.
You said he was barking up the wrong tree.
Only dogs bark, right?
You're right, Ken.
Only dogs can bark.
But "barking up the wrong tree" is actually an idiom which means asking the
wrong person.
That guy should have called the operator, not a librarian.
He was asking the wrong person.
But why barking?
In the old days, Ken, hunters and their dogs would chase after the animal they
were hunting.
The animal might run up a tree.
While the dogs barked under that tree, the animal often escaped, so the dogs
were barking up the wrong tree.
So it's not offensive to say someone is barking up the wrong tree?
No. Let me give you another dog idiom that puts the dog in a positive light.
Have you heard of "Every dog has its day"?
No. What does that mean?
Every dog has its day is a proverb that means everyone gets a chance eventually.
You can say that to encourage someone that he will be successful during some
period in his life.
So if someone doesn't make the team, I can say, "Don't worry. You'll get chosen
next year. Every dog has its day"?
Yes, good example.
I guess dogs aren't so lowly after all.
No, not at all.