节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-11-17
难易度:Medium
关键字:navigate, spare, crystal clear, off the beaten path
Welcome back, everybody.
I hope you had a great break.
Now the next spot in our lesson is not actually a part of the Pantanal region.
But we include it because it's close, it's very beautiful, and it happens to be
on the way to another very famous South American natural wonder - Iguazu Falls.
So we're going to wrap up this TRAVEL feature now with the final reading about
the town of Bonito at the top of page 32.
The Pantanal: A Wetland Adventure.
Last but not least, spare a couple of days for the town of Bonito, a bit south
of the Pantanal.
Bonito means "beautiful" in Portuguese, and this eco-friendly tourist spot lives
up to its name.
Bonito is famous for its rivers, waterfalls and deep, crystal-clear underground
lakes, where you can dive or snorkel.
With plenty of activities that bring you face-to-face with nature, this wetland
has it all.
If you're looking for an exciting vacation that's off the beaten path, head to
the Pantanal!
Friends, if you want to visit the Pantanal, it's probably because you want to
see the amazing wildlife there.
We've given you tons of options so far on ways you can do that,
whether it'd be fishing or going on a safari, or even a night safari to see the
animals' activity at night.
You can also travel on a trail or on horseback and see all of Pantanal this way.
OK. So we've given you many different ways to get out.
I think I would do definitely the night safari.
I'd like to try the horses.
Go places where vehicles can't take you and experience a much more natural
adventure.
But we have a couple of more things to talk about.
That's right, friends.
We have a phrase here that goes "last but not least." Now this phrase means
we're going to give you the last option on our list, but it's not the least.
It's actually really cool.
That's right.
And "least" meaning not the most important or the worst option.
It's not that.
This is very interesting.
So at the end of your trip, spare a couple of days for the town of Bonito.
It's a bit south of the Pantanal.
OK. If you "spare" something, friends, that means you save it.
It's there because it is extra.
So make sure you save a couple extra days that you can spend here in Bonito.
That's right.
Now Bonito means "beautiful" in Portuguese.
Now this is an eco-friendly tourist spot, and it very much lives up to its name.
OK. So if something is eco-friendly, Kaylah, I know the beginning of the word
"eco-," that means economy, right? Or the... the way that life works.
So what if something is eco-friendly?
Well, eco-friendly actually doesn't refer to economy like money.
It refers to like the ecology or the natural place that is in the land - so the
animals, the plants, the life that's living in there.
OK, so it's ecology-friendly.
And so here that means it's very nice, I guess, to wildlife.
It's... it helps the wildlife grow.
That's right. It's a great place to go.
Maybe it also saves you money, but it also is a great place to spot things.
Well, we also see that it's... this is a really well-written sentence.
If you look at it, it says: Bonito means "beautiful" in Portuguese, and this
eco-friendly tourist spot lives up to its name.
Well, we have some Grammar on the Go tips for that, so let's visit Liz.
Hello, friends.
Greetings from Rio de Janeiro.
I'm on my way to the Pantanal, which is what our article is about.
Now our article mentions a town called Bonito.
And we read, "... this eco-friendly tourist spot lives up to its name." That's
our Grammar Tip sentence for today.
Now our focus is on the phrase: lives up to.
It's an idiom that means as good as expected.
So today's sentence just means Bonito, which means "beautiful," is an
eco-friendly tourist spot that is as beautiful as people would expect it to be.
We use this idiom when we want to talk about how someone or something matches
expectations.
For example, if a certain Italian restaurant claims to be the best Italian
restaurant in town and most people seem to agree, we can say:
This restaurant lives up to its claim as being the best Italian restaurant in
town.
Or let's suppose you take your kids to a famous children's park,
and you're impressed with how the park really is a children-friendly place, so
you can say:
That park does live up to its reputation.
If you'd like to see some more example sentences, they're available in today's
Grammar Tip section in your magazine.
That's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go, signing off, in Rio de Janeiro.
Bye-bye.
All right.
Thank you very much, Liz.
Well, this is a wonderful place you can go.
And Bonito is actually famous for its rivers, waterfalls and deep, crystal-clear
underground lakes.
Oh! This sounds beautiful!
It sounds definitely like an eco-friendly adventure, and it sounds like it
really is living up to its name of being beautiful.
Well, let's get a... take a look at these.
It has rivers, you know what those are.
Waterfalls are when rivers are falling, so it's beautiful.
Hiking up to waterfalls is so much fun.
Oh, yeah. It's beautiful.
In fact, there are many waterfalls all throughout Asia that are just as
beautiful.
But if you really want to see a South American jungle waterfall, this is a great
place to go.
That's right. And you can see a picture of one of these waterfalls on page 32 in
your Studio Classroom magazines.
OK. Now friends, you can also see, and I think this is really cool,
crystal-clear underground lakes.
That's right. And they're deep!
That's a first where it's deep, which means it's far down or it's... has a lot
of... ground that's under, and it probably goes down really far too.
Now what does it mean to be "crystal clear"?
OK. Well, the word "clear" means you can see through something.
But the word "crystal" here at the beginning means it's really clear.
Crystal is actually a type of rock.
And it's a clear type of rock that you can see very easily through.
And so if we say something is crystal clear, that means it is as clear as
crystal.
OK. So it's easy or very... very extremely easy to look through.
And these are extremely clean underground lakes, so they're under the Earth.
And there you can dive and snorkel there.
And snorkel - swimming on the top with your face down and a tube so you can
breathe.
Exactly. OK.
So there are plenty of activities that can bring you face-to-face with nature.
And this wetland has it all.
That's right. You can do so many different things.
You know, if you're looking for an exciting vacation that's off the beaten path,
then head to Pantanal.
That's right.
This is definitely off the beaten path.
It's not the same kind of vacation that we usually will talk about on Studio
Classroom.
"Off the beaten path" is an idiom we use to refer to something where a lot of
people do not go.
It's not the most popular or the most famous.
It's less tourist.
It's where less people go.
You should go because it's much more natural and just as beautiful.
That's right, friends.
This is definitely a slightly unusual, if not amazing, vacation experience.
So you should head to, or go to, the Pantanal.
However, right now, friends, it's time to head to the Chat Room.
Hey, Bryan.
Hi, Ken.
Can I help you with something?
Yeah. My family and I are going on vacation soon, and I need some ideas for what
to do.
Well, where are you going?
We're going to Malaysia where we'll be staying close to the ocean.
That sounds like a lot of fun.
Hey, I heard that Malaysia has many gorgeous places to go diving.
Diving?
I'm a little scared of heights, so I don't really like to jump into the water
from high places.
Oh, no, Ken, not that kind of diving.
I was thinking of something like scuba diving.
Scuba diving?
Yes. "Scuba" is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
That just means you can breathe while you're underwater exploring the deeper
parts of the ocean.
Oh, that kind of diving.
That's great.
I won't even have to come up for air.
No, because you'll be breathing in oxygen from a tank.
Diving is great because you can explore a whole world of sea creatures below the
surface of the ocean.
Yeah, maybe I'll see a shark.
OK. That's going to be the first thing on my list - scuba diving.
So what else can I do?
Well, if you do get bored of diving, you could go snorkeling instead.
Have you done that before?
Snorkeling? No. What's that?
Snorkeling is done on the surface of the ocean, and you don't need an oxygen
tank because you wear a snorkel.
What's a snorkel?
A snorkel is a tube you wear in your mouth that extends above the water.
It helps you breathe as you swim.
So while you're snorkeling, you can enjoy watching the fish swim around
underwater.
Hey, that sounds like another great option.
Well, if you need more ideas or another person to join you on your vacation, let
me know.
OK. Thanks, Bryan.
(Chinese).
(Chinese).
And I guess that's all the time we have for today.
Keep up the good work.
Bye-bye.
Well, the Pantanal is a vast freshwater wetland filled with many different
species of plants and animals.
Now before you go, you should decide what kind of lodging you want to stay in
because the area offers everything from luxury resorts to simple guesthouses.
Also, make sure you go on a night safari.
Guides will help you navigate the trails, giving you a chance to see some
amazing South American wildlife like the jaguar.
OK, friends.
Have a great weekend, and then join us on Monday when we look at plants that
kill creatures for food.
Take care.