节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-09-10
难易度:Medium
关键字:scooter, maintenance, justify, storage
Welcome back from the break, everybody.
Are scooters practical?
Well, we're looking at all the angles.
Another angle to consider is distance.
Now if you live in a place where everything is spread out, then riding a scooter
might be tough because it would take too long to get anywhere.
And remember, scooters are not allowed on the freeway.
OK, back to the dialogue at the top of the right-hand column.
(Music).
Car or Scooter?
But I have money.
I've been saving for a long time.
And besides, don't you think a car is worth the expense?
It depends.
Will you really travel enough to justify the expense?
You can always rent a car.
Renting a car is expensive, too.
Besides, I think the storage space would be useful for both traveling and
everyday life.
I got a car because I have a wife and kids now.
But you'll be the only person using the car most of the time.
How much stuff will you really need to carry?
(Music).
Hello, friends.
Do you have a car or a scooter, or maybe you have both?
Today we're trying to decide which is better, a car or a scooter?
All right.
So Ann wants to buy a car, and she's asking Tim for some advice.
Now Tim actually thinks maybe she doesn't need a car because she already has a
scooter, and cars are much more expensive.
That's right.
We learn that Ann already has a scooter but is thinking about buying a car.
And Tim had owned a scooter in the past, but now he has a car.
And he thinks they're too expensive.
All right.
Well, Ann says: But I have money. I can afford it.
I've been saving for a long time.
So Tim's first argument was it costs a lot of money.
But Ann says: I have the money.
I have been saving it.
That means she's been putting money away, keeping it each month to make sure she
could have the money to get a car.
OK. She says: I've been saving for a long time.
And even so, besides, don't you think a car is worth the expense.
That phrase, and beside... besides, when say that we mean even though or and
another point I'm making is.
She's showing him that it's worth it, right?
She thinks if getting a car, it would... offers her... is actually worth the
expense that she's going have to pay for it.
Yeah. We know if something is worth something,
that means you might as well use the energy or the money or the cost that it
takes to get it because they are the same.
So she asks: Isn't it worth the expense?
And "expense" being how much it costs.
Well Ryan, what does Tim say?
Tim says it depends.
Now this answer here, Kaylah, simply means that maybe there's not one correct
answer for every situation.
Well, it depends.
So let's, Ryan, let's look at her situation.
Well, she's... Tim asks her: Will you really travel enough to justify the
expense?
She says she plans on traveling with her friends, doing road trips, and it's
more comfortable to have a car.
But do you think she's going to go on enough trips to justify this expense?
That's a good question.
The word "justify" means to have a good reason for something.
And here, if she is going to use a lot of expense, or spend a lot of money is
what that means, then she needs to have a good reason.
She should travel enough.
That's right.
He says if you want to travel, you can always rent a car.
If you're not traveling enough to justify buying the car, you can rent a car.
And what does it mean to rent a car?
All right.
If you rent a car or anything else, that means you are paying someone and
borrowing it for a certain amount of time.
That's right.
And you can rent cars very easily.
You just borrow the car for a certain amount of time, go wherever you'd like and
return it to the owner or to the company.
So she could do this if she wanted to do road trips.
Right. And Tim thinks that'll save her a lot of money if she just rents cars.
But Ann reminds him of something.
She says, well, renting a car is expensive, too.
And unfortunately, Ryan, this is very true.
Renting a car can be extremely expensive.
I once flew to Texas and I needed a car, so I had to rent one.
And renting the car was almost as expensive as getting my airline tickets.
Oh, goodness. Wow! So it does cost a lot to use a car for a short amount of
time.
And really, if you are going to use it all the time, you might as well buy one.
She says: Besides, I think the storage space would be useful for both traveling
and everyday life.
This is an interesting idea.
She says it's more comfortable to travel in, but storage space is important too.
OK. Now you need "storage" all the time.
I'm sure you use a lot of storage, friends.
That means to have a place to keep things for a while so that you can use them
later.
OK. So she can put the things in her car, whatever she needs, both for traveling
- when she needs to pack all of her bags in her car,
and for everyday life - for things that she does everyday, maybe going to the
market, or to the grocery store, or shopping.
When you're on a scooter, you have all your bags and you're trying to balance,
and it can be kind of dangerous.
But if you have a car, just put them in the back and you're good to go.
Right. Now Kaylah, you remember I told you I have a scooter.
And when I'm driving that scooter, I'd put my helmet on and take that out of the
storage space in the scooter.
But then there's really only room for maybe one bag at the most.
There's not enough storage space to go traveling.
That's right.
You will definitely need to put bags on top of your scooter.
So it makes sense, a car does have much more storage space.
OK. Now Tim says: I got a car because I have a wife and kids.
And so he needs that space for all those people.
But you'll be the only person using the car most of the time.
So he says: I have a wife and kids, a whole family that needs the space.
But Ann is only one person, and she does not have kids, nor is she married.
So how much stuff will she really need to carry is what Tim asks her.
Yeah. How much stuff, or how many of her friends are really going to travel with
her?
Maybe she could just be OK with a scooter for a while.
That's right.
You don't need as much car space if you're only one person shopping for your own
things and carrying your own things around.
It's an interesting point.
Yeah. And I maybe... you know, I have had a scooter for over a year, and I can
hang bags and things on my scooter and it's OK.
Well friends, there's a lot more to this argument, so let's take a look.
But first, let's visit the Chat Room.
Oh. Hi, Terry.
Thanks.
I've been looking forward to listening to this.
Hey, Bryan, what's the CD?
Oh. My neighbor Terry told me about this new band she likes.
It's so new that the library doesn't have any copies of the CD yet.
Oh, so you're going to rent a CD from her.
No, I'm going to borrow the CD from her.
Wait. I thought to rent something was just to borrow it.
Not exactly.
When you rent something, you pay for the right to use it for a certain amount of
time.
When you borrow something, you can get it for free.
So when I check out the book from the library, I'm borrowing it, not renting it
because I don't have to pay for it?
That's right.
One other mistake that I've heard English learners make is: Can I borrow the
bathroom?
What's wrong with saying that?
Well, Ken, if you borrow something, you usually take that thing with you for a
period of time.
I'm not sure how you would do that with a bathroom.
Oh, yeah, not to mention giving it back to the owner.
Right.
So the correct way to say it is: Can I use the bathroom?
OK. So the definition of borrow is to receive something with the intention of
giving it back after using it.
You got it, Ken.
So how long will Terry borrow you the CD for?
You mean how long will Terry "lend" me the CD for.
Oh, right!
Since it belongs to her and she's giving it to you, I have to use a different
verb.
That's right.
Since I'm borrowing the CD from Terry, she's lending it to me.
And to answer your question, she's lending it to me for two days.
Then if I like it, I can buy my own copy.
Well, let me know if you like the CD.
I'm always interested in hearing new music.
Will do.
(Chinese).
(Chinese).
And we're running out of time.
I'll see you next time.
Bye-bye.
Friends, with every Studio Classroom article, we hold an online election.
Well, sort of.
Log on to our Studio Classroom web page and look for the Tell Us question on the
left side, and then cast your vote.
After that, check the results and see how your answer compares with how others
voted.
Learning how to share your opinion in a foreign language is an important step in
the language-learning process.
So please take advantage of these opportunities and take your English to new
heights.
Now please join us tomorrow when we pick up Ann and Tim's conversation about
Cars and Scooters.
Take care.