节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-10-31
难易度:Medium
关键字:fort, estate, architectural, defense, artillery, Court of France, decor
Welcome back from the break, everyone.
So are we going to look at any castles that aren't in Europe?
Of course!
A little later, we'll visit an amazing and inspiring castle in Asia.
But before we do that, let's visit one more European castle, the Prague Castle
in the Czech Republic, over at the top of page 52.
(Music).
Cool Castles.
Prague Castle, Czech Republic.
Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world.
Sections were built in the 9th century.
Over the centuries, rulers made small additions, and the castle grew.
Today, Prague Castle's design contains every architectural style of the last
1,000 years.
Himeji Castle, Japan.
Eighty-three wooden buildings stand together to form this amazing castle built
in the 14th century.
Equally amazing is the winding network of paths leading to the main castle area.
These were for defense - enemies wandered these paths and often came to dead
ends.
The world's castles are full of interesting history.
Find one and explore for yourself!
(Music).
All right, friends.
We've been traveling all over Europe looking at a lot of the cool castles that
they've got there.
We've been to many different countries, from Spain, France, Romania, Germany.
So where are we going now?
OK. We're working our way back towards Eastern Europe.
Again, we're going to the Czech Republic.
Now here in this country there's a beautiful castle called the Prague Castle.
As you can imagine, it's probably in Prague.
Yes, friends.
Take a look at page 52 and you'll see this beautiful castle, which is the
largest ancient castle in the world.
Now I know all these castles sound so interesting to visit.
But I think my first choice to visit would be this one.
It's the largest, and it is one of the oldest too.
Yeah. Well, we see it's an ancient castle, right?
And that means it is very, very old.
And it's still around today for you to go see.
Now sections of it were built in the 9th century - if that tells you how old
this is.
Ooh, that is extremely old.
Now what... what is the reason you would want to go visit this castle?
I think because, well... it's the largest but also, we're going to learn in a
bit about some of the architecture, and I'll tell you then.
OK, deal.
Well, over the centuries, friends, rulers made small additions to this castle,
and so slowly it began to grow.
That's right.
So it kind of has a piece of each ruler, of each family that has been the kings
and queens of the Czech Republic.
And I think that's really interesting because the building itself shows you the
history of the country.
That's true.
And so each time there was a new ruler or someone in charge, they added
different things to the building, and it got bigger and bigger.
And now today, Prague Castle's design contains every architectural style of the
last 1,000 years.
And that's the reason, Ryan.
I would love to see this because it's so interesting.
They, by doing additions... now this does not mean math.
When we're talking about an addition to a building, it means adding more of...
more building to the building.
And because of that, and because of how old this castle is, it has all these
years of history and architecture in it.
So you can actually see the way the buildings were designed from each section of
history just by looking at this one building.
That's extremely awesome.
It's a one-stop architectural venture, you know.
It's exciting.
Yeah, exactly.
So here, now we've traveled through Czech Republic.
This is a very cool-looking castle.
So this is a great reason to take a look.
That's right.
So we said it's the "architectural" design.
Now "architectural" refers to architecture, which we talked about just a bit
earlier.
But "architectural" is the adjective, the adjective describing the way a
building is made.
Yes. And that, like Kaylah said, is the main reason to go see this castle.
All right.
OK. So not only that, you get to visit the Czech Republic.
Now we're going from our European countries, we're flying all the way over to
Japan.
We're looking at our castle in Asia.
And this is the... how... how do we say this?
We say Himeji Castle.
Yes, the Himeji Castle in Japan.
Now this has 83 wooden buildings stand together to form this amazing castle
built in the 14th century.
You said 83 building, 83 buildings!
That's a lot of buildings.
Yes. Eighty-three different buildings all move together.
Now we said, Kaylah, that a castle is a building.
So how can there be 83 different buildings?
That's a good question.
A castle is not only one building, it's the buildings surrounding it.
It creates a living environment for the king or queen.
In Europe, maybe it was one really huge building and then stables or a barn or
farmhouse for workers.
But here in Japan, we see that instead of having just one really big building,
they made 83 big buildings.
Yes. And they're all connected together.
And so this is a new style.
Friends, we've been in Europe this whole time looking at different castles all
around Europe.
This is the first castle and the only castle in Asia on this list, so it's very
different.
That's right.
It's very unique.
Now some of these were built in the 14th century.
So that's... it's pretty old as well.
Exactly.
And here you can see a network of paths that lead together and wind all the way
up to the main castle area.
Now these are equally amazing because these paths are winding, which means
they're twisting and turning through the area,
and it creates a really good defense system.
Yeah. You might call it a "maze." People can get lost; and that is a good
defense.
The word "defense" means to protect you, not to fight someone but to stay away
and not get injured.
Well, because the enemies would wander the paths and often come to dead ends and
not be able to make their way.
Now the world's castles are fascinating.
We've talked about some beautiful ones.
Friends, I hope you get to visit them.
Yeah. They are full of a lot of interesting history.
And friends, you can find one of these castles or even a different castle and
explore it for yourself.
That sounds great.
I hope too, and maybe I'll run into you out there, friends.
Thanks for joining us.
Enjoy today's skit.
Oh. I would love to go inside this castle.
Castles amaze and inspire me.
Oh, me too.
Castles are favorite settings for dramatic stories, both fantasy and fact.
Yes. A castle's architecture captures your attention and its history pulls you
in.
Its rooms tell tales, and their mystery fuels your imagination.
Hmm. So my dear little dragon friend, what castle would you most like to
explore?
Hmm, maybe the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.
That's arguably the most famous.
Indeed, it is.
It's the Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Or maybe I would explore Dracula's castle and meet a vampire.
Ha... you silly, silly little dragon.
You won't find any vampires there now.
It's a museum now with art and furniture and weapons and armor.
I like that.
Well, how about the Segovia Castle in Spain?
It is built like a boat.
Yeah. It was a fort and a prison before.
That's so cool.
Hmm, you do know a lot.
Exploring the Chateau de Versailles might be nice.
That estate became the home of the Court of France.
What does it have?
I'm so glad you asked.
It has magnificent decor.
It represents the French kingdom at its greatest.
Or how about the biggest ancient castle in Prague?
It has architectural styles from 1,000 years.
Yes, yes, yes, it's quite impressive.
Now the Himeji Castle in Japan is very big too.
It has 83 wooden buildings.
Wow! Alas, every castle is amazing and inspiring.
Yes, alas and indeed.
Let's explore them all, my dear little dragon friend.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And I guess that's it for today's Language Tips.
Goodbye and take care.
We appreciate those tips, Michelle.
Thank you.
Castles amaze and inspire because they grab our attention with their interesting
architecture and history.
In the past, castles have served as forts, prisons, academies, museums, hotels
and more.
Today, castles are mostly a place for tourists to visit, explore and enjoy.
Friends, great English doesn't happen overnight.
It's a process.
You can continue the process with this lesson's Talk About It questions toward
the bottom of page 51.
So go out today, speak a little English, and then join us tomorrow for some FUN
FACTS.
Take care.