【英语趣味课堂】悉尼-Sydney

 Todd: OK. Ann, you spent quite a bit of time in Australia recently so why don't you talk about that?

Ann: I really liked living in Australia. I was an international student and I studied education at the University of Sydney. Lliving in Sydney was fantastic becuase I could go to the beach anytime I wanted and there was a great nightlife in Sydney. There are lots of great clubs. People were very, very friendly and easy-going¹ and I met a lot of international people living in Sydney.

 

Todd: How long were you there?

 

Ann: I was there for almost a year.

 

Todd: Oh, OK.

 

Ann: I travelled a little bit in Australia. I went up the east coast, up to Frasier Island which is a world heritage² site. I saw dingos running along the beach and sharks in the water. We climbed cliffs³ and went through a rain forest and went camping and then we went up to the West Indies, which is a bit further north. The further north you go in Australia, the hotter it gets. We were able to go swimming in the ocean and I went diving for the first time but it was a little bit risky⁴ because I didn't have a diving license⁵. I went on an introductory dive and I saw a giant clam⁶ that had a really spongy purple inside that I was able to touch and then the clam closed up really quickly.

 

Todd: So, did you lose your finger?

 

Ann: Almost.

 

Todd: Almost. Ah, you're lucky. It's funny, you go in the water and you worry about sharks but not clams⁷.

 

Ann: Exactly.

 

Todd: Will you be going back to Australia soon?

 

Ann: I'd like to go and live there for at least another year. Probably I'll go back to Sydney or I may go down to Melbourne because it's a really interesting cultural city. They have lot of museums and parks.

 

Todd: OK. You got to choose real quick. Only one city, Montreal or Sydney, which do you choose?

 

Ann: Sydney, without a doubt.

 

Todd: OK. All right. Thanks a lot.

 

Ann: You're welcome.

 

学习内容：

spent time

You spent time in Australia quite recently, so tell us about that.

To 'spend time' in a place is to be there for a while.  You can also spend time with people.  Notice the following:

 

You have spent a lot of time in the sun recently.

Do you spend a lot of time with your grandparents?

nightlife

There was a great nightlife in Sydney.

Nightlife refers to bars, clubs and restaurants that people go to at night to see friends and meet new people. Notice the following:

 

It is small town that has no nightlife, so I moved.

Many people move to the city for the nightlife.

risky

It's risky to go diving without a diving license.

Something that is 'risky' could have bad consequences.  Notice the following:

 

It is risky to walk alone at night.

Skydiving is a very risky sport.

lose (your) finger

You're lucky you didn't lose your finger to that clam.

You can 'lose your finger' if something bites your finger or snaps⁸ it off your hand.  Notice the following:

 

The dog bit me and I thought I might lose a finger.

He lost his finger in a farming⁹ accident.

without a doubt

If I have to choose, I'll choose Sydney, without a doubt.

We use the phrase¹⁰ 'without a doubt' when we have a strong opinion about something.  There is no question in our minds about our opinion.  Notice the following:

 

Without a doubt, you will be offered some type of job.

This was, without a doubt, the best year of my life.

clams

On my dive, I saw a giant clam.

A clam is a sea creature that lives in a shell¹¹ that opens and closes.  Notice the following:

 

We found a pearl¹² inside the clam.

We had clams for dinner..

 

1 easy-going   

adj.随和的；轻松的

参考例句：

• She is an easy-going girl.她是一个随和的女孩子。
• The students considered Mrs.Smith an easy-going teacher.学生们认为史密斯夫人是一位宽容随和的老师。

2 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

3 cliffs   

n.悬崖，峭壁（cliff的复数形式）

参考例句：

• the chalk cliffs of southern England 英格兰南部的白垩质峭壁
• Local folklore has it that prehistoric men drove cattle over these cliffs. 当地民间传说中称，史前人类把野牛从这些悬崖上驱赶下去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

5 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

6 clam   

n.蛤，蛤肉

参考例句：

• Yup!I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers.对呀！我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
• The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders.藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。

7 clams   

n.蛤；蚌，蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The restaurant's specialities are fried clams. 这个餐厅的特色菜是炸蚌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We dug clams in the flats et low tide. 退潮时我们在浅滩挖蛤蜊。 来自辞典例句

8 snaps   

v.猛地咬住( snap的第三人称单数 )；（使某物）发出尖厉声音地突然断裂[打开，关闭]；厉声地说；拍照

参考例句：

• The cloth flower snaps on with a special binder. 这布花是用一种特殊的粘合剂固定住的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As the fish snaps at the bait, it gets caught on the hook. 鱼咬饵时，就被钓在钩上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 farming   

n.农事；耕作

参考例句：

• He lives by farming.他靠务农过活。
• He is farming in Africa.他在非洲经营农场。

10 phrase   

n.短语，词组；成语，习语

参考例句：

• The phrase was caught on and immediately became popular.这个短语被采用后很快就流行了。
• That's exactly the phrase I was looking for.这就是我一直找的那个短语。

11 shell   

n.贝壳，壳，外形；v.去壳，脱落；n.[计算机] DOS命令:安装备用的COMMAND.COM文件，并改变环境尺寸

参考例句：

• Please shell some peanuts for the cake.请为做点心剥点胡花生。
• This kind of beetles have hard shell.这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。

12 pearl   

n.珍珠，珍珠母

参考例句：

• He bought his girlfriend a pearl necklace.他给他女朋友买了一条珍珠项链。
• The crane and the mother-of-pearl fight to death.鹬蚌相争。