节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-08-07
难易度:Medium
关键字:embassy, withdraw, cautious, precaution, PIN [personal identification
number]
OK. Welcome back from the break, friends.
It pays to be careful when you travel alone.
With a curious mind and a heart for adventure, Julie Whitmore unknowingly walked
into a very sticky situation.
In fact, she was lucky to walk away with her life.
OK. Our next question for Julie Whitmore, "Was there anything you could have
done to avoid this?" starting on line 20.
(Music).
Solo-Travel Safety.
Was there anything you could have done to avoid this?
Yes and no.
I couldn't help traveling alone - those were just my circumstances at the time.
And I think it's normal to want to go out and explore.
But I could have been more cautious and refused their offer to show me around.
Will you continue traveling?
Yes. I'm still curious, and I think that traveling is generally pretty safe.
It's just important to be alert and cautious when you travel... and to take
precautions.
Well, we are back talking with Julie.
We're discussing her trip in the Philippines where she was drugged by a gang of
women who then stole her money by getting her PIN number from her while she was
drugged.
So Ryan, she didn't know she was doing this.
She has gone to the authorities and reported the crime afterwards.
But what... what could she have done in the first place?
Well, that's a great question.
She's lucky that she was still OK.
She did lose some money, but at least she is still alive and safe.
And so Studio Classroom wants to know: Was there anything that you could have
done to avoid this situation?
Now to avoid means to never have let it happen.
So is there anything you could have done so that this would not have been a
problem for your trip to the Philippines?
OK. So she says: Well, yes and no.
There were some things I could have done but also some I could not avoid.
She says I couldn't help traveling alone - those were just my circumstances at
the time.
Now friends, sometimes this is the case.
It is best to travel with at least one friend because, well, you want to share
those experiences but it's also safer.
Although for Julie, at this point in time, her circumstances, her situation,
where she was in life, did not allow for her to be traveling with someone else.
OK. So she says: Well, and also, I think it's normal to want to go out and
explore.
I think she means even if you're alone.
Yeah, that's right.
Even if you're alone, you want to go out and explore, to look around and
experience whatever new place you're visiting.
Yeah, to explore to see new things.
But she says: I could have been more cautious.
Now what does it mean, friends, if you're more cautious?
Well, to be "cautious" means you avoid risk and you consider how certain things
and circumstances are going to play out.
Sometimes we see the word "Caution" or "Be cautious" on the road.
That means be careful, be very alert.
So another word for cautious is to be careful.
Yeah. I think that's right.
She needs to be more careful here.
And so she says she could... refused their offer to show her around.
And so that's something she could have done to try and separate herself from
that kind of danger.
That's right.
Now it is exciting to be shown around by a local.
But sometimes refusing or telling them you're not interested "Thank you for the
offer" would be the best, would be the safest.
Yeah. And an offer, friends, is when someone goes to give you something, wants
to give you something or help you with something.
Now Studio Classroom's last question is: Will you continue traveling?
Ryan, I think this is a really good question because if you've been through this
kind of experience, some people would never want to travel again.
Maybe you'd never want to see a new place because you're afraid of what could
happen.
Now Kaylah, I know Julie, and I actually asked her the same question.
And she gave me the same answer here, friends.
She said yes. She still plans to travel.
Like she says, she's still curious, and she thinks that traveling in general is
pretty safe.
That's right.
So she's curious, she still wants to see new places and explore them.
And she's... and traveling can be generally pretty safe.
Now when we say that word "generally." That means over all, usually or most
commonly, traveling is safe.
Yeah, and that's true.
I mean, we know that many people travel every day without getting hurt or
injured or kidnapped or drugged.
So in general, it can be safe.
I think she thinks that, well, it happened to her once, maybe it won't happen
again.
That's right.
Maybe she wouldn't go back to the same hostel or city in the Philippines.
But she says she still wants to travel because she sees it's just important to
be careful, alert, cautious when you travel.
That's very true.
No matter where you are going or whether you're going alone or with other
people, it's important, friends, to be alert.
Now if you are alert, then you're paying attention to what's going on around you
and you understand where the danger is.
That's right.
To be alert means you're paying attention.
And to be cautious means you're aware of the danger.
So you're using that alert side of you to be careful and to judge how you want
to interact with people in a new place.
That's right.
Now you should also, Kaylah, even if you're being alert and being cautious, you
should also take precautions.
That's right.
Now we see the word "cautions" in there.
Now "precautions" means to do an action that prevents danger.
And if we separate that word, that makes sense.
"P-R-E" at the beginning of a word means "before." So to do something before
something bad happens.
And what does "caution" mean?
OK. The word "caution" means something that is preparing you to be safe, you are
avoiding danger.
So here we don't say you "have" precautions, you "take" precautions.
That's the word you use in order to say that what you are doing is going to
prevent you from getting into danger.
Now there's a great list of solo-traveling precautions on page 21 in your
magazine.
Friends, I definitely suggest you look at them for when you're traveling alone.
But they're also very good tips for traveling with friends.
OK, friends, travel safely and take those precautions.
Right now, let's visit the Chat Room.
How are you feeling today, Bryan?
Is your cold any better?
Yes. In fact, it's almost completely gone.
I took your advice, Ken, and went to bed early last night.
I think it helped a lot.
Did you stop at the drugstore and get some medicine?
Yes, I did.
But I can't help thinking that all I really needed was a little more rest.
Oh, that's good.
Hey, what do you mean that you can't help thinking?
Did someone want you to do something for them last night?
Oh, no. I was just using an idiom.
When someone can't help doing something, it means they have no choice, they have
to do it.
Is it sort of like saying they can't resist doing it?
Not exactly.
When someone says they can't resist doing something, they're usually talking
about something they shouldn't do but are choosing to do anyway.
So someone might say: I can't resist having another piece of chocolate cake.
That's right.
But "can't help" is usually talking about something done without thinking or
something one doesn't have a choice about.
So you said you couldn't help thinking that all you needed was more sleep
because you didn't choose to think that, it's just what you believe.
Right.
Or if someone says "I didn't want to skip your party but I couldn't help it,"
that means that something stopped them from going.
I see.
So here "help" means to change something that happens, right?
Yes, it does.
And there's another idiom that uses "help" this way: not if one can help it.
That means: not if there's any way to prevent it.
How would you use that idiom?
Well, someone might say "I won't miss your party if I can help it." That would
mean they'll do everything they can to be there.
I see.
Well, thanks for the English lesson, Bryan.
And try to stay rested so you don't get sick again.
Don't worry, Ken.
I won't get sick again if I can help it.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And that concludes our Language Tips day.
Goodbye and take care.
Thank you, Michelle.
We always appreciate those helpful tips.
And thanks again to Julie Whitmore for talking with us about the importance of
taking precautions when traveling solo.
Friends, if you have a travel experience you think we can learn from, we'd love
it if you shared it with us.
You can do that in the Studio Classroom Chat Room or English Corner - both just
a mouse click away on our StudioClassroom.com website.
Well, since we're talking about traveling, let's go somewhere fun tomorrow.
Join us as we head to the Emerald Coast.
We'll see you then.