英语博客(A cup of English):A beautiful advertisement

Beginners.

If you drive around this town, you will see lots of new buildings, and some that are almost finished. The town is growing. There is heavy machinery¹ of all kinds in many places: cranes, backhoes, dump trucks, and bulldozers. As you walk or drive past these busy places, you can hear all the noises of the machines, the workmen, and the automatic tools. It is interesting to see how quickly a neighborhood can be changed by a building. Now, also, there is a rule in Wenatchee that when a building is built there must be landscaping around it. That means that the owners must plant trees, grass, and bushes. It all beautifies the area and makes the new buildings look even better. It helps to sell the new buildings, and it attracts people to new stores. When attractive landscaping is put in, the whole area benefits. Did you know that trees and other greenery reduce crime? The beautiful, natural surroundings help us calm down and forget our problems. A tree here, some flowers there, a group of bushes, all add quality to our lives. That is why it is great to see Wenatchee getting more landscaping. Just a few streets away from where I live, there is a new spot of landscaping that catches everybody's attention. It is a beautiful advertisement for a new development.

Grammar notes.

Useful vocabulary: heavy machinery, crane, greenery, to beautify.

My son loves heavy machinery. He watches the backhoe dig and dig.

Gosh, I didn't know that cranes could be so tall.

This garden looks like a desert. It needs more greenery.

The new fountain really beautifies the center of town.

Advanced.

Boulder² Falls is the name of a new waterfall on the corner of a street where new houses are being built. It is quite an eye catcher. There was nothing there a month ago, apart from some weeds and dry ground. Now, with the help of buiders, landscapers, and heavy machinery, the patch of land has become transformed. First the ground was prepared, weeded, smoothed, and pipes were laid. Then plastic was put on top. A natural looking wall of boulders³ was put in, piece by piece, with a stair step arrangement in the middle. Next, rich topsoil was spread all around the rocks, and the landscapers planted many trees and bushes. Finally, the water was turned on. Everyone who drives past that corner must have been wondering when it would be finished. And now, with the Autumn colors just around the corner, we will be able to enjoy the waterfall until the snow comes. "It's smart," said my husband, as we drove past one day. "It'll help to sell the new houses." I hadn't thought about that until he mentioned it. It's true. What a clever way to advertise new homes: put in a beautiful piece of landscaping that is right next to them. With the credit crisis⁴ still looming⁶ large in the area, new homes need all the help they can get. The landscaping company also has its name on a sign right next to the waterfall. So it is double advertising⁷.

Grammar notes.

Vocabulary: an eye catcher, to weed, to landscape/ landscapers, just around the corner, to loom⁵ large. Present/ past continous of verb 'to be' + adjectives.

The new bill board in town is an eye catcher. It is huge and brightly colored.

The garden had been ignored for months. We had to weed for hours.

The landscapers are quite talented. They landscape most of the businesses in town.

The medical exam was looming large in her mind. It was all she thought about.

Her birthday is just around the corner. She will celebrate it in three days.

Practice of present/ past continous of verb 'to be' + adjectives.

A new statue was being erected⁸ in town, so we went to see it.

The village is being bombed, so the people have to escape now!

Three thousand hamburgers are being fried today for the great giveaway.
 

1 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

2 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

3 boulders   

n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾

参考例句：

• Seals basked on boulders in a flat calm. 海面风平浪静，海豹在巨石上晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The river takes a headlong plunge into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders. 河水急流而下，入一个漂砾的漩涡中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

5 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

6 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

7 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

8 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。