节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-03-29
难易度:Medium
关键字:obedient, maturity, privilege, consequence
Welcome back, everybody.
The word "curfew" is actually related to the word "cover." In medieval times,
for safety,
a bell would ring in the evening to remind villagers to put out or cover their
fires before they go to bed.
This ringing of the bell was called the curfew.
OK, let's wrap up our lesson on line 14.
Curfews.
I'm 16 now.
I think I'm old enough to handle the responsibility of staying out later.
You have shown quite a bit of maturity this year.
So maybe it's time to give you some added privileges, like staying out later on
the weekends.
That's great!
How late can I stay out?
We'll let you stay out until midnight Saturday night, and we'll see how it goes.
But if you're late, there will be consequences.
Thanks! I promise you won't regret it.
So we're back in the conversation listening to Sara and her mom discuss the
importance of curfew and what time is best.
Now the last question Sara's mom asked her was: Why is 11 p.m. so important?
Yeah. Now it's easy for us to think: Well, I want to be out late, and so our
parents want us to be home early.
We know our parents want us home early because of school, because they want us
to be safe.
But why stay out late?
Now I'm going to say I think, if I grew up in Taiwan, I would say night markets.
That's my reason to want to stay out late.
Stay out late, enjoy the food, have fun with friends.
We see here that Sara says: Well, I'm 16 now. I think I'm old enough to handle
the responsibility of staying out later.
This is what we... we'd like to argue is saying I'm old enough.
I'm old enough. I'm 16! I know what I'm doing.
But her mom says: You have... you know, you've shown quite a bit of maturity
this year.
I agree with that.
So not only is Sara 16, but she is obviously a mature 16-year-old.
Yes. Now if you are "mature," that means you are acting like an adult and
thinking like an adult.
The word "maturity" is the noun form of this.
That's right.
You are showing maturity.
That means you are a mature person.
So if you meet... sometimes you meet little kids who use really big words and
very big sentences and is kind of confusing, but they're good at it.
So they're very mature for their age.
They act more like an adult than how old they are.
But here we're talking about Sara at 16 being very mature.
That's right. As you get older, you too will become more mature.
Even Kaylah and I still become more mature as we get older.
That's right. Every day is a test of our maturity.
Can we become more like adults the older we get?
But Sara is apparently doing a good job.
Yeah, so her mom says: Maybe it's time to give you some added privileges.
Now "privileges" are something we all look forward to.
That is kind of a reward.
It's something you get for doing something well.
Yeah. Privilege could be thought of as benefits for doing something right, or
for being order, or being in authority.
That's right.
It's an opportunity that's more enjoyable.
You're going to have more fun with it.
So these privileges are something her mom is saying: You've been mature. You're
acting like an adult.
I can give you some more of these rewards.
OK. Now Kaylah, Sara's mom gives us some examples of these rewards.
What are these?
She says, "like staying out later on the weekends." So maybe she's going to give
in and let Sara have a little bit of extra time.
So maybe Sara will still have a curfew that is earlier during the weekdays,
which is Monday through Friday.
But on the weekends, she might have a later curfew.
And Sara: "That's great!" That sounds exactly what she wants.
Yeah. And she asks right away: Well, how late can I stay out?
How late can I stay out?
That's the first thing we want to know.
OK, I've been mature. I've asked politely.
I've earned my... I've stuck to my responsibility and earned my privileges.
So how late can I stay out?
OK. Now Kaylah, did you ever get a curfew pushed to a later time when you were
younger?
Yes, I did if I was doing something very well, or as I said, I was involved in a
lot of things after school that went late.
For example, my theater drama acting practice could go very late into the night.
So my curfew would be later even though it was still a weekday.
Exactly. Cool.
So it happens either when you get older or when you become more mature.
Or in Kaylah's case, you were doing something that was very important, and so
you needed to stay out later.
That's right. So you can earn these privileges.
Now privileges, I know, can be taken away as well.
I learned that the hard way.
Yeah? Well, what is your story?
How did you lose a privilege?
Well, I did not do well in Spanish class.
I was not a very good Spanish student, so my parents took away my privileges of
actually going out for drama.
I was not allowed to go and do the plays anymore till I got my grades up.
So it is a privilege to get to do things.
And they can still... those privileges can still be taken away.
So stay mature, stay growing so you don't lose them.
OK. So I think the lesson here is improve your maturity, and you too can earn
these privileges.
That's right.
Now I... I'm hoping to emphasize here that these are privileges.
They're a gift.
They're something our parents let us have, but they're not a promise to stay
forever.
That's true.
Yeah. Many times parents will say this is only a privilege, you have to earn it.
Nah... That's such an aweful phrase.
I hated hearing that.
Mom says: We'll let you stay out later.
We'll let you stay out until midnight on Saturday night, and we'll see how it
goes.
So today is Saturday.
She was out.
She says: You can stay out later. We'll see how it goes.
Exactly. So here Sara gets an extra hour in her curfew, and her mom is going to
try it, see how it goes.
That means she will see what happens.
And if it goes well, she might get to keep that privilege.
"But if you are late," her mother says, "there will be consequences." And
"consequences" are the problems or the things that are negative that we have to
take when we do something wrong.
Yeah. Now a consequence is a result, and it's unusually bad.
Maybe not always, but it's usually not a good thing.
So Sara says: Thanks! I promise you won't regret it.
So she's saying you're going to be glad you let me have this opportunity.
I hope your conversations about curfew work out just as well as Sara's.
Let's go on over to the Chat Room.
Oh, wow! This is terrible.
What are you reading there, Ken?
Well, I'm reading this news story about a teenager who got killed on the street
by a drunk driver.
Oh. I heard about that on the news this morning.
It's really sad.
Yeah.
Hey, Bryan, do you think 16 is old enough to stay out until midnight?
Hmm... that's a tough one, Ken.
A 16-year-old is still underage, and midnight is pretty late.
Underage? Under what age?
The legal age, which is generally considered to be 18.
So someone under the age of 18 is considered underage?
That's right.
Another word we often hear is "minor." A minor is someone under the legal age.
So what do you call it when someone reaches the legal age?
Well, you can say the person is of age.
Of age?
Yes.
When someone is "of age," they're old enough to vote, buy their own car, get
married and do all the things adults do.
You know, I've heard of "come of age." Is that the same thing?
Yes. "Coming of age" is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood.
This transition is often accompanied by a certain ritual.
Have you ever heard of a rite of passage?
Rite of passage? No.
Why don't we go to Doris and hear her explain it.
OK.
"A rite of passage" marks a time when a person reaches a new and significant
change in his or her life.
It's not limited to the transition from childhood to adulthood, though.
A graduation ceremony, wedding or retirement party can all be rites of passage.
I see.
You know, my son just learned how to ride a bicycle.
Can I call that a rite of passage?
Sure. Learning how to ride a bike is every kid's rite of passage.
(Chinese).
(Chinese).
And that's it for today's Language Tips.
I'll see you soon. Bye-bye.
Thank you, Michelle.
We appreciate those tips.
Friends, please, please practice those words.
They will help you remember them the more you use them.
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