【英语趣味课堂】能力-Abilities

 Todd: OK, Jamon, we're going to talk about abilities.

Jamon: OK

 

Todd: Can you cook?

 

Jamon: I can cook a little bit. I like cooking.

 

Todd: What do you like to make when you cook?

 

Jamon: Just simple things. I love salad. I make a huge salad.

 

Todd: I love salad. OK, can you sing?

 

Jamon: No, I can't sing. I just sing for me. On the...when I have a shower.

 

Todd: Oh, really, you sing in the shower? Nice, what, what songs do you sing? Like pop songs or just...?

 

Jamon: No, mainly reggae. I love reggae.

 

Todd: Wow! Can you play any musical instruments?

 

Jamon: Dijuridu!

 

Todd: Oh, really.

 

Jamon: It's an Australian instrument.

 

Todd: Yeah, yeah. Where did you learn that?

 

Jamon: I learned¹ in Switzerland.

 

Todd: Really. OK. Is it popular in switzerland?

 

Jamon: Yeah, it's popular. Everybody knows about it.

 

Todd: Wow. How long have you played?

 

Jamon: A couple of years maybe. Maybe 4 years.

 

学习内容：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

abilities

 

Let's talk about different abilities.

 

Your 'abilities' are what you are able to do or your skills. Notice the following:

 

He has many special abilities for his age.

She got the job because of her language abilities.

reggae

 

I like reggae music.

 

'Reggae' music is Jamaican music that is usually somewhat² slow-paced, combines old-time rhythm³ and blues⁴ and ska, and usually has strong lyrics⁵, a heavy bass⁶ line and lots of drum beats. Notice the following:

 

He is part of a popular reggae band.

Reggae music makes me think of nice weather.

play instrument

 

What musical instrument do you play?

 

If you 'play an instrument' you know how to make the instrument make music that sounds good. You know how to play different notes and songs.  Notice the following:

 

My sister can play six different instruments.

He has played the piano for about 5 years.

popular

 

This instrument is popular in Switzerland.

 

Something that is 'popular' is used or liked by a lot of people.  Popular things are usually common.  Notice the following:

 

She is a very popular actress this year.

That store is getting really popular.

couple of years

 

I've been playing this instrument for a couple of years.

 

A 'couple' is used as a general number when we don't know the exact number.  It usually means⁷ two or three.  Notice the following:

 

We will only be gone for a couple of days.

I think there are a couple of apples left in the refrigerator.

 

1 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

2 somewhat   

pron.一些，某物；adv.多少，几分

参考例句：

• The cake we made was somewhat of a failure.我们做的蛋糕不大成功。
• The two office buildings are somewhat alike in appearance.这两座办公楼在外形上有点相似。

3 rhythm   

n.韵律；节奏

参考例句：

• He has an ear for the rhythm of Irish speech.他对爱尔兰语的节奏很敏感。
• His poem has a pleasing rhythm.他的诗有和谐的韵律。

4 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

5 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

6 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

7 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。