2010年ESL之旅行交通购物 09 Reading a World Map_在线英语听力室

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09 Reading a World Map

map – a piece of paper with drawings and text showing the location of places

* Noah hung a large world map on his office wall and circled all the places he hasvisited.

globe – a round ball that rotates² in a special stand and represents the world, withdrawings of the continents, oceans, countries, and major cities

* Why does Greenland look so much larger on a map than on a globe?

postcard – a small, rectangular³ piece of paper sent through the mail with apicture or photograph on one side and a message, address, and stamp on theother side, used to send brief messages to other people, usually when traveling

* Today we received a postcard that Sebastian sent while he was relaxing on thebeaches of Tahiti.

adventurous⁴ – looking for adventure and excitement; wanting to do new andunusual things that most people don’t do

* Troy is a really adventurous eater. He’s even tried roasted ants, frog legs, andraw beef.

compass – a small, flat, round device with an arrow that always points north, nomatter which way the device is held

* The hikers lost the trail, but they were able to use a compass to find their wayback into town.

continent – one of the seven large areas of land: Africa, Antarctica, Asia,Australia, Europe, North America, and South America

* How many continents have you visited?

geography – the study of the earth’s surface, especially of the location of naturalfeatures, countries, cities, and the people who live there

* This week, our geography class is focused on African mountains and rivers.

equator⁵ – an imaginary line around the planet, separating the northern andsouthern hemispheres⁷ (halves)

* As you move further from the equator, days become longer or shorterdepending on the season.

latitude⁸ – one of many imaginary lines around the planet, parallel to the equator,used to talk about how far north or south something is

* Areas at extremely high latitudes⁹ have cooler temperatures because they getless sunlight.

longitude¹⁰ – one of many imaginary lines around the planet, perpendicular¹¹ to theequator, used to talk about how far east or west something is

* How many miles separate each degree of longitude at the equator?

sort of – kind of; somewhat; a little bit; to a certain extent

* Even though it was difficult to spend so much time living with my in-laws, I wassort of sad when it was time for us to leave their house.

to make heads or tails of (something) – to be able to understand something

* I can’t make heads or tails of this physics lesson. Do you understand it?

to scale – with a constant (unchanging) ratio between the actual distancebetween points A and B and the distance between points A and B on a map

* This map is drawn¹² to scale, so one inch represents 10 miles.

legend – a small box on a map with words that explains the scale and whatdifferent symbols mean

*According to this legend, a small drawing of a tree represents a park and ayellow star represents a police station.

place name – a word on a map showing what a country, city, or other place iscalled

* Almost half the place names on this map are misspelled, and the other half arein the wrong spot!

vital statistics¹³ – detailed¹⁴ information, especially information represented innumbers

* The doctor wrote down all of her patient’s vital statistics in the patient’s officialfile.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Which of these things would be used for navigation on a long walk?

a) A globe.

b) A compass.

c) An equator.

2. What does Greg mean when he says, “I can’t make heads or tails of thismap”?

a) He doesn’t know which side is the top.

b) He doesn’t like the drawings on the map.

c) He can’t understand the information on the map.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

map

The word “map,” in this podcast, means a piece of paper with drawings and textshowing the location of places: “Where can I find a map of the city’s subwaysystem?” Or, “Their wedding invitation included a small map showing how to getto the hotel from the freeway.” A “road map” shows the location of roads andstreets and is used while driving. A “political map” shows the borders betweencountries: “This political map won’t help us drive across the country. We need aroad map.” The phrase “to put (something) on the map” means to make a placefamous or well known: “Making an important discovery would help to put ouruniversity on the map.” The phrase “to wipe (something) off the map” means todestroy something completely, so that nothing is left “In the 1980s, peopleworried that a nuclear war could wipe the country off the map.”

to scale

In this podcast, the phrase “to scale” means with a constant (unchanging) ratiobetween the actual distance between points A and B and the distance betweenpoints A and B on a map: “It’s difficult to illustrate¹⁵ the solar system to scale,because the distances between the planets are so large compared to the size ofthe planets themselves.” When talking about animals, a “scale” is one of the flat,small pieces covering the skin of a snake or fish: “Look how colorful those fishscales are!” A “bathroom scale” is a device that one steps on to find out howmuch one weighs: “After eating so much food over the holidays, I’m scared to step on the bathroom scale!” Finally, the word “scale” refers to the amount orlevel of something: “The earthquake caused large-scale damage.”

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CULTURE NOTE

Google has an “impressive” (surprising in a good way) map service called StreetView. It lets Internet users type in an address and see photographs taken fromthe street. This can be helpful when people want to know what a neighborhoodlooks like, but it has also “raised” (caused; brought up) “concerns” (worries) about“privacy¹⁶” (people’s right to not have their business and secrets shared withothers).

The images “captured” (recorded) on Street View are very detailed. People cansee which windows are open and which cars are parked in front of a home.

Some of the pictures also include the people who were standing¹⁷ in front of – oreven inside – the buildings when the Street View cameras “passed by” (drove infront of a building).

Some Street View images have become very popular because they captureunusual sights. One image shows two women “sunbathing” (relaxing in thesunshine to get a tan) in their “bikinis” (two-piece swimsuits) at StanfordUniversity. Another image shows a man climbing the “gate” (fence) in front of anapartment building in San Francisco – “perhaps” (maybe) because he was“locked out” (forgot or lost his key), or perhaps because he was “breaking in”

(entering a building without permission).

Some people are worried that Street View “invades their privacy” (takes awaytheir privacy). Google argues that Street View provides only public images, andthat anyone can see those same things simply by walking or driving down thestreet. However, in response to the “controversy” (something people feelstrongly about and cannot agree on), Google does allow Street View users torequest that an image be removed “due to” (because of) privacy concerns.

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Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT¹⁸

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 581: Reading aWorld Map.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode¹⁹ 581. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com. Download a Learning Guide for this episode.

The Learning Guides contain all of the vocabulary, definitions, sample sentences,additional definitions, cultural notes, comprehension questions, and a completetranscript of every word we say on this episode. All that can be found on ourwebsite, eslpod.com.

This episode is called “Reading a World Map.” We’re going to talk aboutvocabulary related to maps. This is a dialogue between Greg and Julianna.

Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Greg: What are you doing with that map and that globe?

Julianna: I’m trying to keep track of Carmen as she travels from country tocountry. I just got another postcard from her today.

Greg: I’m not sure I like the idea of my daughter traveling around the world witha group of people for three months. It’s not safe.

Julianna: She can take care of herself. You know she’s the adventurous type.

Give her a compass and she can find her way around anywhere. Help me findNauru on this map. I don’t even know what continent it’s on. I was never anygood at geography.

Greg: All right. You look above the equator and I’ll look below it, but couldn’t youjust look it up on the Internet? It would be easy to find the latitude and longitudeof this place.

Julianna: This is more fun. I sort of feel like I’m on an adventure myself.

Greg: I can’t make heads or tails of this map. It’s not to scale and this legend isall wrong!

Julianna: It doesn’t matter. We just need to find the place name, and then I canput a pin in this map showing where’s she’s been.

Greg: I have a better idea. I’ll look it up on the Internet and get you all of thevital statistics you’d want, like its location, okay?

Julianna: Forget it. Sometimes it’s more fun doing things the hard way.

[end of dialogue]

Greg begins by asking Julianna (or Julianna, I think she prefers Julianna), “Whatare you doing with that map and that globe?” A “map” is a piece of paper withdrawings on it that shows the location of places. “Map” actually has a couple ofdifferent meanings in English however. To find those take a look at our LearningGuide for this episode. A “globe” (globe) is a round ball that has a special stand,and it goes around, and on this ball is a map of the world so you can see whereall of the countries are in the entire world.

Greg says, “What are you doing with that map and globe.” Julianna says, “I’mtrying to keep track of Carmen as she travels from country to country. I just gotanother postcard from her today.” A “postcard” (one word) is a small rectangular,typically, piece of paper that you send through the mail. It usually has a pictureof the place you are visiting, and on the back you write a message, somethinglike “Wish you were here,” meaning I wish that you could be with me. Usually notthough, usually you – you don’t want other people with you on vacation. But yousay that, right?

Julianna says, “I just got another postcard from Carmen today.” Greg says, “I’mnot sure I like the idea of my daughter traveling around the world with a group ofpeople for three months. It’s not safe.” So, Greg and Julianna have a daughterwho is going around the world with a group of people. Julianna says, “She cantake care of herself. You know she’s the adventurous type.” Someone who is“adventurous” is someone who is always looking for excitement, wanting to donew and unusual things. I am not the adventurous type. I prefer to sit in mychair, drink some tea, and read my book. I’m kind of a boring person basically!

Julianna says, “Give her (meaning give Carmen) a compass and she can find herway around anywhere.” A “compass” (compass) is a small, flat, round device that has an arrow in it, and the arrow always points north no matter which wayyou hold it. It’s something that a traveler would use to know what direction theyshould go in, especially if you are, for example, out in the woods, or away fromanything that would give you a good indication of which direction was north, atnighttime for example.

She says that Carmen can find her way around anywhere with a compass. Shethen says to Greg, “Help me find Nauru on this map. I don’t even know whatcontinent it’s on.” Nauru, of course, is a country. A “continent” is one of theseven large areas of land in the world. We talk about seven continents in theU.S.: we talk about Africa, Asia, Antarctica, Australia, Europe, North America,and South America. In some places they talk about five continents, but in theUnited States we have seven, or at least that’s what we say. Julianna is trying tofind what continent the country of Nauru is on. She says, “I was never any goodat geography.” “Geography” is the study of the surface or the area of somewhereon Earth, especially where things like countries and cities are located; that’s partof geography.

Greg says, “All right (okay). You look above the equator and I’ll look below it.”

The “equator” is an imaginary line around the middle of our planet, Earth. Itseparates the north half from the south half. We call these halves“hemispheres.” So there’s the northern hemisphere⁶, where I live, and thesouthern hemisphere, where perhaps you live. That’s what the equator is. So,Greg is going to look in the northern hemisphere, and Julianna will look in thesouthern one. He says, “couldn’t you just look it up on the Internet?” Greg says,“It would be easy to find the latitude and longitude of this place.” “Latitude” refersto imaginary lines that go around the earth from east to west, you might say.

“Longitude” are lines that are “perpendicular,” they’re at a right angle to latitudelines. Longitude lines go, if you will, from north to south. If you know the latitude– if you know how far north or south something is, and longitude, how far east orwest something is, then you can find a place. Every place on Earth has aspecific latitude and longitude. Latitudes are sometimes called “parallels,” so wetalk about the 45th parallel. These latitude lines are sometimes used, forexample, in dividing countries or areas.

Julianna says, “This is more fun. I sort of feel like I’m on an adventure myself.” “Isort of” means I somewhat, I kind of, to a certain extent: “I sort of don’t want to goand see my brother-in-law.” I sort of don’t want to go, I kind of, it’s not somethingthat I – I love to do. I’m not completely against the idea, but I sort of don’t want togo. Well, Julianna says she sort of feels like she’s on an adventure.

Greg says, “I can’t make heads or tails of this map.” The expression “to makeheads or tails (tails) of (something)” means to be able to understand something.

The word “heads and tails” comes from a coin; there are two sides. A front of acoin we call the head, and the back of the coin called the tail. So the expression“to make heads or tails of” means to be able to understand. We use it in talkingabout anything that seems very confusing to us. Greg says, “It’s not to scale andthis legend is all wrong!” Greg is saying that the map is not to scale. “To scale”

means that the actual distance on the map between two points – between, say,one city and another city – the distance on the map is the same in proportion tothe actual distance. That is, if you look at a map on the United States that is toscale, you’ll see that 500 miles from Los Angeles to the north is perhaps twoinches. Well, two inches on anywhere in the map equals 500 miles. That’s amap that is drawn to scale. A “legend,” sometimes called a “key” (key), is a smallbox on a map that explains what the different colors or symbols mean on thatparticular map. They often also tell you what the scale is: one inch equals onemile, or one inch equals 200 miles.

Julianna says, “It doesn’t matter (it’s not important if it’s not to scale and thelegend is all wrong). We just need to find the place name.” The “place name” isthe word on a map that indicates the country or city or other place where thisthing is. “Then,” she says, “I can put a pin on this map showing where’s she’sbeen.” A “pin” is a small piece of metal, like a small little stick, but you use it toattach, say, a piece of paper to the wall.

Greg says, “I have a better idea. I’ll look it up on the Internet and give you all thevital statistics you’d want, like its location, okay?” “Vital (vital) statistics” in thiscase means detailed information, numerical²⁰ information. Technically²¹, it usuallyrefers to how many people are born, how many people die, coming from the Latin(vita) “vita,” or “vita,” referring to life. But here, it just means the specific details.

Julianna doesn’t want to look it up on the Internet however. She says, “Forget it.

Sometimes it’s more fun doing things the hard way,” doing things in the mostdifficult way possible.

Where’s Nauru? Well, I looked it up on the Internet; I didn’t look on a map or aglobe. It’s actually a small island nation in the South Pacific. Maybe I’ll go thereone day and visit!

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.