节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-05-09
难易度:Low
关键字:hot spot, retreat, complex, evidence, Mediterranean, UNESCO, heritage,
cathedral
Hi, everybody. Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
My name is Steve.
Pack your bags because we're going to Europe.
For the next three days, we'll tour around a place rich in culture, history and
scenic beauty.
Is it London, England?
No.
Paris, France?
No.
It's not Rome, Italy, either.
We're going to go somewhere people don't often consider - and I don't know why -
because this place is every bit as charming as those other places I just
mentioned.
It's Croatia's Dalmatian Coast.
Please open your magazines to page 24 and let's read together about this special
seaside escape.
(Music).
Croatia's Dalmatian Coast.
Try something new - Croatia's seaside escape.
On the Adriatic Sea, east of the Mediterranean, lies Dalmatia, a region of
Croatia.
It's a small area - only 375 kilometers long and 45 kilometers wide, plus a few
islands.
Despite its size, this Eastern European vacation hot spot draws visitors from
near and far.
Dalmatia offers historical cities and towns, a beautiful countryside and a mild
climate.
Whether you're looking for an activity-filled holiday or a relaxing retreat,
you'll find it here.
(Music).
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us right here in the studio.
My name is Kaylah.
And my name is Ryan.
And we are looking at our second TRAVEL article of the month.
If you remember, earlier we gave you some tips on how to make your vacation a
little bit more enjoyable.
And now we're going to tell you about a place where you can use those tips.
That's right.
We're talking about Croatia's Dalmatian Coast.
Now Croatia is a country in more Eastern Europe.
And it has a coastline that often we don't think about.
That's right.
And we're going to be looking at this coastline, how beautiful it is, some of
the history and some of what you can do there.
That's right.
Try something new - Croatia's seaside escape.
Often we don't think of going to Eastern Europe as a place to visit the ocean to
have a beach vacation,
but here we see that Dalmatian Coast is actually a great option.
Yeah. It is a seaside escape.
It is next to the ocean, and it's a place where you can go to escape and get
away from stress.
Well, on the Adriatic Sea, just east of the Mediterranean lies Dalmatia, a
region of Croatia.
OK. So it's on the Adriatic Sea, which is right next to the Mediterranean.
And the "Mediterranean" is the ocean that is just south of Europe and north of
Africa.
That's right.
It's a large sea that we all recognize.
Well, the Adriatic is right next to it.
And that is the coastline of Croatia.
You can see a picture of this on page 24 in your Studio Classroom magazines.
There is a map showing you exactly where we're talking about.
Right. And Dalmatia is a region of Croatia.
That means it's part of the country of Croatia.
It's a small area, though, only 375 kilometers long and 45 kilometers wide, plus
a few islands.
And you can see that on the map as well.
Yeah, you can see it's a pretty small place.
But that means there... it's small, but there's still a lot that you can do
there.
That's right.
Despite its size, this Eastern European vacation hot spot draws visitors from
near and far.
OK, let's talk about that phrase, "despite its size," Kaylah.
What does that mean?
Well, when we say "despite" something, that means even though this, we mean
something else.
So even though it is a small size, it still has a lot to offer.
So despite its size, there's still a lot going on.
That's true.
And it is a "hot shot," which is referring to a place that is very popular or
very exciting.
It's a place that many people want to come and visit.
And we see that it does draw visitors from all over the place.
That's right.
We use the term, near and far, that phrase, to show that people from both in
that region, in that area as well as from far away like to come here.
I'm sure lots of Europeans like to vacation on the Dalmatian Coast.
But I also know that if you're an American who is... has some ideas, you would
be a faraway visitor,
or if you're from Asia, you'd be a faraway visitor who likes to go.
So they come from everywhere.
And we're about to see why - because Dalmatia offers historical cities and
towns, a beautiful countryside and a mild climate.
So it looks like there's just about everything you're going to want, even just
with the weather.
This will be a great place to visit no matter what you're really interested in.
Yeah. The weather is nice.
It's beautiful; it's a beautiful countryside, a lot of nature.
And you can see a little bit of history.
That's right. We said it had a mild climate.
Now we know "climate" refers to the weather that is in a certain area.
And when we say a mild climate, what does that mean?
Well, if something is mild or if the weather is mild, that means that it is
comfortable.
There's not very much rain.
The temperature is not going to be too hot and not too cold.
Perfect.
So "mild" meaning it's right in the middle where we like it.
I am beginning to really like this idea.
Exactly. Now whether you're looking for an activity-filled holiday or just a
relaxing holiday, this is a great place to go.
Well, that sounds fantastic.
No matter who you're traveling with, this could offer both.
If you want activity-filled, you want to get out and try new things or if you
just want to relax in a retreat, the Dalmatian Coast can offer both.
Yes. Now a "retreat" is referring to a time that you can get away from normal
life stress, and it's basically a time to relax.
That's right, a retreat to get away.
So why... if we think of it as a place to relax, why do we say a relaxing
retreat?
Well, a retreat is referring more to actually going away from the work that you
have to do.
OK, so getting away.
Now you can get away, go to somewhere else.
But maybe New York City is not relaxing even though you're not working.
This area of the world, this coastline offers a place to relax.
But you know, Ryan, I... I know as a traveler, I don't like just going to sit
around and do nothing.
So I would enjoy both the fun-filled activities as well as the relaxing.
Yeah. And it's great that Croatia and Dalmatian Coast actually offer both sides
of that.
You can relax a little bit, enjoy nature, enjoy the beach.
But there's also places you can go to either have a lot of excitement, a lot of
activities, or to learn.
That's right.
It's full of history.
There's lots going on on the Dalmatian Coast.
So I... I definitely think this is a place that we could all visit because you
can learn, you can relax,
you can... be energetic and get out there all in a perfect climate.
That's right.
I know for me, I actually usually enjoy the activity-filled vacations.
But you know, I like to be somewhere where there's beauty too.
This actually sounds like a really fun place to visit.
Well, I'm excited to learn as much as I can about the Dalmatian Coast.
But first, we need to visit the Chat Room.
What happened at the library last night?
I was driving by and noticed the parking lot was full of cars.
We had Eric Stevenson, the famous author, come and give a talk.
Oh, yeah. I remember hearing about that.
How was the talk?
He was a really good speaker.
And I was amazed at the size of the crowd.
People came from near and far to get a chance to meet him.
Near and far?
That means that they came from many different places, right?
That's right.
I've heard the idiom "far and near," which I think means the same thing.
Is there a difference between them?
Nope. They're exactly the same thing.
And there's a third idiom with the same meaning, far and wide.
So you could have said that people came from far and wide to hear the talk.
Can you say "wide and far" too?
No. That one can't be reversed.
We always say: far and wide.
OK.
And what about "so near and yet so far"?
Is that also a similar idea?
Actually, no.
"So near and yet so far" describes something that is almost finished, but
there's one difficult obstacle that is preventing its completion.
Hmm. Can you give me an example of how to use it?
Sure.
Last night Eric Stevenson told me he's almost done with a new book.
But the ending is taking him a really long time to write.
So when he told me that, he could have said: So near and yet so far.
I see.
So he's near to finishing the book, but he is far because the last part is so
tough.
That's exactly right.
Good job.
Thanks.
Let me know when any other famous authors are coming.
I will.