节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-06-25
难易度:Medium
关键字:blossom, fertile, manufacture, crush, significance, migration, showcase
OK. Welcome back, everybody.
Thanks for joining us as we celebrate an essential part of Hakka culture, the
tung tree, and more specifically, the tung blossom.
For many years, the tung tree was one of the economic pillars of Hakka
communities.
And as we've been reading, no part of the tree went to waste.
Let's turn now and see how the tung seeds were used as we finish up the reading
on line 15.
(Music).
In Praise of the Tung Blossom.
The seeds of the tree could be crushed to produce oil that was useful in
finishing wood and protecting paper umbrellas.
Today, the tung tree no longer holds the same economic significance it once did.
But it is still a celebrated feature of Hakka literature and art.
It is also the center of the annual Tung Blossom Festival that attracts millions
of visitors to Hakka communities.
These communities provide a showcase for Hakka foods and cultural activities.
The tung tree has long been a useful and important part of Hakka life and
culture.
This year, why not join the Hakka in celebrating the tung blossom!
(Music).
All right. So we've seen how the tung tree proved to be a hidden blessing for
the Hakka people that moved to Taiwan.
We know it grows well in areas that most plants and trees normally don't grow.
And it's been very useful in making furniture, shoes, even matches.
That's right. And when you manufacture, that means it's making all of these
goods.
So it's proved to be a very useful plant.
Well, even more than just using the wood of the tree, other parts of the tree
are useful as well.
That's right.
The seeds could be crushed.
And when you "crush" something, that means you push it together very hard so
that it is completely destroyed.
That's right, to completely destroy the shape of the seed.
But when you crush it, when you apply that pressure,
it would produce oil that was useful in finishing wood and protecting paper
umbrellas.
So a liquid, the oil of the seed, was very useful in helping them with, well,
the furniture they just made out of the tree itself.
Right. It says "finishing furniture." I don't think that means to actually
complete building the furniture.
What does that mean?
Well, when you finish wood, that means you put a layer of oil on top of it to
protect the wood from the rain,
or from... when people mistreat them, when you put your shoes upon them.
So this was to help the wood stay strong and healthy, and actually made it look
very lovely as well.
Yeah. Now I had to do this.
My parents made my brother and I build a playhouse for my sister, and we had to
go finish the wood every summer.
It's a lot of work, but it protects it.
That's right.
So the oil was used for that as well as paper umbrellas.
Now the idea of a paper umbrella does sound strange because we know that paper
and water don't go well together.
But that's where the oil was useful.
Exactly. You can finish the umbrella, put the oil on that.
And it will cause the water to just bounce right off, roll right off the
umbrella keeping you dry.
Now these umbrellas are also very pretty.
You can see some pictures of them on page 47.
Well, today, the tung tree no longer holds the same economic significance it
once did.
So even though it is still important, it doesn't have the same significance on
the economy.
Right. We know from before that economy has to do with how you trade and sell
things.
But "significance" here is referring to how important something is.
That's right.
Now what kind of importance we put on something is its significance.
So is it really important to help with the economy, to help with the trading of
money?
Well, not so much today, but we still celebrate it.
That's right.
The tung tree isn't as important today.
But like Kaylah said, it is a celebrated feature of Hakka literature and art.
Now literature is the writing from a group of people.
So we study British literature, or American literature, or Chinese literature.
Here this is Hakka literature.
And that would be the stories, the history, all of the important pieces from the
past go into the literature and art.
That's right.
And you can still find some of these stories today.
They're still celebrated.
And also, like you said, it's in their art.
But there's something else, Kaylah.
And for you guys, it is also the center of the annual Tung Blossom Festival.
And that festival attracts millions of visitors to Hakka communities.
That's right. It is the center feature.
That means it is what is most important, or what the festival is based around.
That's why the festival happens.
And millions of people go visit Hakka communities and celebrate with them.
Exactly. It attracts many people.
That means it causes people to enjoy it, to want to go.
Now this festival, it can provide a showcase for Hakka foods and cultural
activities.
That's right.
These communities provide a showcase.
And a "showcase" is a way of showing something off.
It is a situation to make something important or impressive.
Yeah, or something can easily be seen where it usually something that is very
impressive, like Kaylah said.
So this... this is a great way for you to go see these cultural activities and
enjoy the tung tree.
Well, the tung tree has long been a useful and important part of Hakka life and
culture.
So this year, why not join the Hakka in celebrating the tung blossom!
This sounds like a fantastic idea.
But before you do that, let's go visit Ken and Bryan in the Chat Room.
So what did you do yesterday?
I spent all afternoon helping my friend repair his kitchen.
Oh. How did it go?
It was really overwhelming.
I went to the home repair store to help him get supplies.
But I had no idea how to find what I needed.
Yeah, those stores are huge.
I know. And some of the things they sell have really weird names.
Really? Like what?
Well, I saw something in there called a wood finishing spray.
What is that supposed to be?
How do you finish wood?
Ah. I think that's a different definition of "finish" than the one you know.
To finish wood means to put a coating on it to give it the texture you want.
So wood finishing spray would be put on wood to make it smooth and shiny.
Oh, that makes sense now.
Actually, "finish" can also be a noun.
Then it means the thing you put on wood to finish it, which can be a spray like
you saw or a liquid.
So could I say I build a wooden table and put a finish on it?
Sure.
And actually, the final texture on the wood can also be called a finish.
So I could say the table you build has a nice finish.
Well, I don't plan to be building tables anytime soon, but I guess it's good to
know.
Hey, by the way, do you know why that coating is called a finish?
I think it's because when you make something out of wood, putting the finish on
is the last thing you do.
OK.
I know my friend can't wait to finish the repairs.
He probably wishes there were a kitchen finishing spray that would do the work
for him.
Ha... we should invent that sometime, Ken.
We'd be rich.
(Chinese).
(Chinese).
And we're running out of time.
Keep up the good work, and I'll see you next time.
Thank you again, Michelle.
For early Hakka settlers, the tung tree was an essential part of their economic
livelihood.
Tung wood, oil, seeds and blossoms were all used in a variety of ways.
Today, the tung tree doesn't have the same importance economically as it once
did,
but it does play a significant role in Hakka literature, art and cuisine.
If you have a chance this season to visit a Tung Blossom Festival, do it and
make a memory.
Friends, Studio Classroom hopes you have a great day.
Take care.