节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-08-03
难易度:Medium
关键字:stroll, competition, in a way, backyard, Renaissance, make one's mouth
water
OK. I hope you had a great break.
If you've ever wanted to travel back in time, well, now is your chance.
That's right.
Renaissance fairs don't really send you back in time, though.
They recreate the feel, the look, the sounds, the smells and tastes of
16th-century England.
Let's jump back now into the reading at the top of page 17 and find out how and
when these fairs got their start.
(Music).
Renaissance Fairs.
Since the 1960s, Renaissance fairs have grown in popularity in the U.S. and
Canada.
Communities in at least 44 states and two Canadian provinces now hold annual
Renaissance fairs.
Over 200 fairs are held every year, with 40 in California alone.
The first Renaissance fair was started in the 1960s by a schoolteacher in
southern California named Phyllis Patterson.
She wanted to give her students a real-life history experience, so she created
the "Renaissance Faire" in her backyard.
The rest, as they say, is history.
So friends, we are traveling back in time to visit the Renaissance by attending
a Renaissance fair with jugglers, knights and people in strange costumes.
All right.
You might find yourself walking through a park seeing all of these fascinating
and strange things, but you are actually in a Renaissance fair.
Now since the 1960s, Renaissance fairs have grown in popularity in the U.S. and
Canada.
That's right.
"They've grown in popularity" means they have increased.
People enjoy going to them.
More people attend them than they used to.
Yeah. We know that if something is popular, then many people enjoy it, so.
If it is growing in popularity, that means it is becoming more and more popular.
That's right.
Now Ryan, I actually have friends in America who are actors and perform at
Renaissance fairs.
What kinds of things do they do?
Well, I have a friend, he is a knight.
So he gets to ride the horses and do the sword fighting.
Oh, very cool.
Yeah. It's a... it's a fun activity.
If you ever have the chance to attend, they're very interesting.
OK. Well, this shouldn't be too hard for you if you are in the U.S. or Canada
because communities in at least 44 states and two Canadian provinces now hold
annual Renaissance fairs.
So there are lots of options to attend Renaissance fairs all over North America.
Now I actually know there is one right near my hometown, just about 30 minutes
away.
So if you're ever in Colorado, feel free to stop by.
OK. So Colorado is one of the 44 states that has annual Renaissance fairs.
But we also saw there are Renaissance fairs in a couple Canadian provinces.
What are those?
That's right.
Well, Canada is divided in provinces instead of in states.
Now provinces are a much larger area, and there are fewer of them in Canada.
In America, we have 50 states.
And in Canada, they have ten provinces and three territories.
OK. So it's just the section of land in Canada.
Now over 200 fairs are held every year with 40 in California alone.
Ryan, you're from California.
Have you ever been to a Renaissance fair?
No. But I've seen them being hosted in certain places.
They're very popular in California.
Have you ever been to a Renaissance fair?
Yes, I have.
My family visited one... oh, when I was back in high school.
It was a fun activity.
It was interesting.
We got to see a lot of strange costumes and funny performances.
And it's always fun to see someone riding a horse jousting.
Well, it does seem very interesting.
Like you can see in the picture in the article, there is someone holding a pole,
and that is jousting - is they're riding a horse, holding a pole.
Now the first Renaissance fair was started in the 1960s by a schoolteacher in
southern California named Phyllis Patterson.
Well, that makes sense why California has so many.
They started in California.
And Ryan, it's so cool that a teacher is actually who started this.
We usually think that these kinds of events were started by actors or
performance people.
But this was a teacher who had a very specific reason for wanting to put this
on.
Yeah. Now friends, sometimes you learn about history and you just might start
feeling so bored.
But I think that's because you're stuck just looking at a book.
This is a great way to experience history - go back in time.
That's right.
There's a specific reason.
Ms. Patterson wanted her students to do this.
She wanted to give her students a real-life history experience.
So she created the "Renaissance Faire" in her backyard.
So instead of just having them read about it in their history book, they got to
experience it.
Now Ryan, did your teachers ever provide any cool history experiences for you?
Uh actually, in my high school, there was one experience when we got to explore
the Egyptian history era,
and people put on fun costumes and stuff like that.
But it wasn't quite as big as a Renaissance fair.
Well, my school actually followed this tradition.
We put on a Renaissance fair.
I learned so much about the Renaissance because I got to kind of experience and
go back in time.
But teachers are so creative.
This Phyllis was just an amazing example of how creative you can be.
It's true.
And the fact that she did this in her own backyard is very impressive.
That's right.
Now a "backyard" refers to the space at a house or your home that's usually
surrounded by a fence.
So if you think about your home in a neighborhood, you have that big, grassy
space behind the house, that is called your backyard.
OK. So she held this at her own home on her own property.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
That's right.
"The rest is history," meaning, well, it panned out the way it is, and now today
we see where we've come.
OK. Well, friends, join us tomorrow and we'll see what it actually has become.
For right now, though, let's visit the Chat Room.
So Bryan, how did you end up working here at the library?
Well, I had just left my previous job and was looking for a new one.
My friend Rachel told me there was an opening here.
So I applied.
And the rest is history.
Oh. So You found the job through Rachel.
That makes sense.
So how long ao did that happen?
About a year ago.
But for the first few months, I didn't interact much with people who visited the
library.
Then why did you say it was history?
I thought history was something that happened a long time ago.
Oh, it is.
But the phrase "the rest is history" just means that anyone can figure out what
happen next.
We use it in the story or an explanation.
Oh, OK.
So if I was telling someone how I met my wife, I could end the story with, "So I
asked her to marry me; and the rest is history"?
Right. And that's a great example.
I heard another confusing use of the word "history" on the news yesterday.
There was a report about a basketball player who had broken the law, gotten
kicked off his team and had gone to jail.
The report said that he is history.
What does that mean?
Well, when you say that a person is history, it means that they're in really big
trouble.
Usually we'll use that phrase when we're talking about something that might
happen in the future.
So someone might say something like: When my boss finds out that I made that
huge mistake, I'm history.
Yeah. You know, that news report could also have said that that guy's career is
history.
Saying an event or situation is history means it's in the past and won't affect
what's happening now.
So if his career is history, it means he won't be playing professional
basketball anymore.
You're right.
You can also say that a relationship is history or that someone's problems are
history.
Well, thanks for the tips.
I'm really glad Rachel told you about this job.
If she hadn't, I probably wouldn't have met you.
Thanks, Ken.
I'm really glad she told me about it too.
I enjoy working here.
(Chinese).
(Chinese).
By the way, we have to say goodbye now.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Bye-bye.
Thank you so much, Michelle.
We appreciate that.
Now I know history isn't everybody's favorite subject.
But maybe it would be if we all had a teacher like Phyllis Patterson.
As I said earlier, Renaissance fairs make history come alive by recreating the
atmosphere of a 16th-century English fair.
But there are other times and places the fairs celebrate too, like 12th-century
Scandinavia, 15th-century France and 18th-century North Africa.
So basically, the sky's the limit.
OK. Let's travel back in time again tomorrow with more of Renaissance fairs same
time, same place.
Have a great day.