Tree climbing: Part 1

Tree climbing: Part 1
NB: This is not an accurate word-for-word transcript¹

Dan: Hello and welcome to this week’s 6 Minute English. I’m Dan Walker Smith
and today I’m joined by Kate.
Now in today’s programme and in next week’s programme we’re talking about
tree climbing. So I want to ask you Kate when was the last time you climbed a
tree?
Kate: Ooh I think it was quite a few years ago now actually; probably when I was a
child, around 10 years old. We used to live in the countryside and I remember
climbing a tree in the garden with my brother. But it’s been a long long time; I
haven’t climbed a tree for years.
Dan: Exactly, climbing trees is usually an activity that’s associated with childhood（童年时代）.
But these days it’s also a growing sport for adults as well. And there are
professional tree climbers, and competitions and tree climbing centres across
the world.
So this week's question for you Kate is: In what year was the first ever
International Tree Climbing Championship held? Was it:
a) 1964
b) 1971
c) 1976
Kate: Well I’m going to guess that this is quite a recent sport. So I’m going to go for
the latest date, which is c) 1976.
Dan: OK, well we’ll see if you’re right at the end of the programme. Now the
benefits of climbing are well-documented; it’s great exercise in the open air,
and gives you a sense of attachment² to the natural environment.
Let’s listen to the professional tree climber James Aldred, as he explains how
he developed his love for climbing. Where did he live as a child, and how did
it help him decide to start climbing trees?
Extract³ 1
Well I’ve been into climbing from a very early age. And I was never into rocks or
mountaineering; it was always trees. I grew up in a forest, and if I was going to climb
anything, by default⁴ it was always going to be trees.
Kate: OK, so James grew up in a forest. To grow up is to change from being a child
to being an adult. So, because he spent his early years surrounded by trees, by
default, he learnt to climb them. The phrase by default here means that there
were no alternative choices or competitors, so trees were the natural things to
climb.
Dan: And what did he mean there Kate when he said he’d ‘been into’ climbing from
an early age?
Kate: Well, to be into something is a slang⁵ way of saying you’re interested in
something or that you’re a fan of it. For example, you could be into football or
into watching tennis.
Dan: OK well, let’s have a listen to James again as he describes his first experience
of climbing a tree. He says he was terrified, which means he was extremely
frightened or scared. And he also uses the word scampered⁷ – he says that his
friends ‘scampered like squirrels⁸’ up the tree. What does he mean here Kate?
Kate: Well, to scamper⁶ means to run with quick short steps. It’s a term that’s usually
used to describe animals. So when James says his friends scampered like
squirrels he means they were moving quickly, like the furry-tailed little
animals that live in trees.
Dan: So have a listen to the next extract; how long did James stay on the lower
branches of the tree?
Extract 2:
I was absolutely terrified the first time I climbed this tree. And the two friends I was
with, they just scampered up like squirrels, went right to the top, and left me on the
lowest branches for about two hours, absolutely terrified.
Kate: Well James said that he stayed in the lowest branches for around two hours. A
tree’s branches are the woody arms that grow from the trunk. And the trunk
is the name of the central part of the tree.
Dan: Now before we listen to the final extract, I just want to talk about the different
parts of a tree. You mentioned there the trunk and the branches, and I want to
know what the other parts of a tree are?
Kate: Well the parts below the ground are called the roots, which keep the tree in
place and absorb water and nutrients⁹. Above the roots you have the trunk, as
we said, and at the end of the branches you have leaves. A leaf is the flat green
part of a plant.
You also have bark, which is the outer covering of a tree. And the thick sweet
liquid you find inside the trunk is called sap or resin¹⁰.
Dan: OK, let’s have a listen to the final extract for today. This is tree expert Tony
Russell, describing the fragrance¹¹ of a tree, that is the smell or the aroma¹². He
uses some quite complicated words here Kate, so could you please explain
some of them?
Kate: Of course.
Dan: What does he mean by the foliage¹³ and cones¹⁴, for example?
Kate: Well foliage is the term for the leaves or the green parts of a plant. And the
cones here are the hard woody fruits of a pine tree.
Dan: Also listen out for the word resinous¹⁵, which he uses to describe the aroma
from the tree; what particular part of the tree does this refer to?
Extract 3
It has this great fragrance to it as well, which comes off the bark, but it also comes off
the foliage and off the cones. And on a really warm day you get this tremendous（巨大的，惊人的）
fragrance which is sort of resinous.
Kate: By resinous, he means it smells like resin or sap.
Dan: OK Kate, well we’re almost out of time for this week, so let’s go over some of
the vocabulary we’ve come across today:
Kate: Wow, that’s a lot of words we’ve had this week, but all very useful when
talking about trees.
Dan: Exactly, and we’re coming back to this topic next week for the second part of
our tree climbing programme.
Kate: Oh good, I can’t wait.
Dan: Exactly. And there’s just time as well for today's question. I asked you Kate; in
what year was the first ever International Tree Climbing Championship（锦标赛，冠军称号）?
Kate: And I went for the latest date, which was 1976.
Dan: Exactly, 1976. It was set up by the Californian businessman Dick Alvarez to
make sure that people in his tree surgery business had the skills to prepare
them for tough climbs. The competition grew, until it’s now a worldwide
event.
Kate: Gosh that’s very interesting. I had no idea people took this sport so seriously（认真的，严重的）.
Dan: Well it’s a growing sport, and I think it’s one which is becoming more popular
as the years go by.
But we’ll hear more about it next week. For this week, from all of us here at
BBC Learning English, thanks for listening, and goodbye!
Kate: Goodbye!(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)
 

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 attachment   

n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附

参考例句：

• She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
• She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。

3 extract   

vt.取出，提取，获得，摘录；n.摘录，提出物

参考例句：

• The article was a choice extract from her writings.这篇文章是从她的著作中摘录出来的精粹。
• We can extract oil from olive.我们可以从橄榄中榨油。

4 default   

n./v.拖欠，违约，欠缺，默认，缺省

参考例句：

• He lost the world title by default.他由于弃权而失去了世界冠军的称号。
• In default of experts' help,we shall have to rely on our own efforts.没有专家的帮助，我们将只得依靠自己的力量。

5 slang   

n.俚语，行话；vt.使用俚语，辱骂；vi.辱骂

参考例句：

• The phrase is labelled as slang in the dictionary.这个短语在这本字典里被注为俚语。
• Slang often goes in and out of fashion quickly.俚语往往很快风行起来又很快不再风行了。

6 scamper   

v.奔跑，快跑

参考例句：

• She loves to scamper through the woods of the forest.她喜欢在森林里的树林中穿梭嬉戏。
• The flash sent the foxes scampering away.闪光惊得狐狸四处逃窜。

7 scampered   

v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The cat scampered away. 猫刺棱一下跑了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The rabbIt'scampered off. 兔子迅速跑掉了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 squirrels   

n.松鼠( squirrel的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Squirrels are arboreal creatures. 松鼠是栖于树上的动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Red squirrels are now very rare in Britain. 红色松鼠在英国已十分罕见了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 resin   

n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂

参考例句：

• This allyl type resin is a highly transparent, colourless material.这种烯丙基型的树脂是一种高度透明的、无色材料。
• This is referred to as a thixotropic property of the resin.这种特性叫做树脂的触变性。

11 fragrance   

n.芬芳，香味，香气

参考例句：

• The apple blossoms filled the air with their fragrance.苹果花使空气充满香味。
• The fragrance of lavender filled the room.房间里充满了薰衣草的香味。

12 aroma   

n.香气，芬芳，芳香

参考例句：

• The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。
• The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。

13 foliage   

n.叶子，树叶，簇叶

参考例句：

• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage.小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
• Dark foliage clothes the hills.浓密的树叶覆盖着群山。

14 cones   

n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒

参考例句：

• In the pines squirrels commonly chew off and drop entire cones. 松树上的松鼠通常咬掉和弄落整个球果。 来自辞典例句
• Many children would rather eat ice cream from cones than from dishes. 许多小孩喜欢吃蛋卷冰淇淋胜过盘装冰淇淋。 来自辞典例句

15 resinous   

adj.树脂的，树脂质的，树脂制的

参考例句：

• Alcohol is a solvent of resinous substances.酒精是树脂性物质的溶媒。
• He observed that the more resinous the wood, the more resistant it was to decay.他观察到木材含树脂越多，其抗腐力越强。