【英语趣味课堂】美丽中国-Beautiful China

 Todd: So, Phil, I'm thinking about going to China and I'm really into nature. I love wildlife. Can you recommend anything to me?

 

Phil: The best thing I did in China was go through Zhang Jia Jie National Park. That's Hunan Province, and if you like nature, that's really highly recommended. It's an UNESCO cite¹. It's easy to find on the internet, but it's just craters², gorges³, trees sticking out of really strangely shaped hills, lots of caverns⁴ and very very few people there. It was empty when I was there. I had never heard of it before. I had just been recommended by a tour guide. It was spectacular⁵. If you like nature and like hiking it will definitely give you a workout and you'll take a lot of pictures.

 

Todd: Wow, well, how big is this park?

 

Phil: Good question. I didn't see the whole thing, and I spend three days there walking different parts every day, so I really don't know the size of it except that it's massive⁶. So you just went hiking and then you camped overnight, or did you just hiked for the day?

 

Phil: Just day hikes, the tour I had been organized with had rented us a hotel, just stayed in the hotel, slept there at night, and walked most of the day.

 

Todd: Uh-huh. Did you see any wildlife?

 

Phil: Some insects and some butterflies, but no, nothing, no mammals, nothing like that.

 

Todd: Was the, were the trails steep?

 

Phil: Yeah, but most of them do have stairs so, regardless of your fitness⁷ level I don't think it would be very difficult for anybody to, some people might be a bit slower than others but you should be able to make it up alright.

 

Todd: So, where is this again? You said in Hunan Province!

 

Phil: I believe it's North-Western Hunan Province.

 

Todd: So, Phil, I'm thinking about going to China and I'm really into nature. I love wildlife. Can you recommend anything to me?

 

Phil: The best thing I did in China was go through Zhang Jia Jie National Park. That's Hunan Province, and if you like nature, that's really highly recommended. It's an UNESCO cite. It's easy to find on the internet, but it's just craters, gorges, trees sticking out of really strangely shaped hills, lots of caverns and very very few people there. It was empty when I was there. I had never heard of it before. I had just been recommended by a tour guide. It was spectacular. If you like nature and like hiking it will definitely give you a workout and you'll take a lot of pictures.

 

Todd: Wow, well, how big is this park?

 

Phil: Good question. I didn't see the whole thing, and I spend three days there walking different parts every day, so I really don't know the size of it except that it's massive. So you just went hiking and then you camped overnight, or did you just hiked for the day?

 

Phil: Just day hikes, the tour I had been organized with had rented us a hotel, just stayed in the hotel, slept there at night, and walked most of the day.

 

Todd: Uh-huh. Did you see any wildlife?

 

Phil: Some insects and some butterflies, but no, nothing, no mammals, nothing like that.

 

Todd: Was the, were the trails steep?

 

Phil: Yeah, but most of them do have stairs so, regardless of your fitness level I don't think it would be very difficult for anybody to, some people might be a bit slower than others but you should be able to make it up alright.

 

Todd: So, where is this again? You said in Hunan Province!

 

Phil: I believe it's North-Western Hunan Province.

 

学习内容：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

spectacular

 

Zhang Jia Jie National Park was spectacular.

 

If a place is 'spectacular' it is amazing or incredible⁸.  Notice the following:

 

They gave us spectacular food after the hike.

The view from the top of the mountain wasspectacular.

workout

 

Hiking will definitely give you a workout

 

If an activity gives you a 'workout' then it gives you exercise.  Notice the following:

 

What is your favorite kind of workout?

He gets a workout because he walks to work every day.

wildlife

 

Did you see any wildlife?

 

'Wildlife' are animals that live in their natural environment, or not in a zoo.  Notice the following:

 

I enjoy the wildlife outside, but not inside my house.

A lot of wildlife lives in the forest by my house.

mammals

 

I saw insects and butterflies but no mammals.

 

A 'mammal' is an animal that is covered in hair and usually feeds its babies milk.  Notice the following:

 

Did you know that whales are mammals?

I prefer to have a mammal for a pet.

steep

 

Were the trails steep?

 

If a trail is "steep" it is very inclined⁹, like walking up a big hill.  Notice the following:

 

Is this ski trail really steep and dangerous?

This part of my route is too steep to run up, so I have to walk.

1 cite   

vt.引用，引证，举例

参考例句：

• It would be an endless task to cite such living examples.这样的实例举不胜举。
• I'll just cite some figures for comparison.我要引用一些数字作比较。

2 craters   

n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等

参考例句：

• Small meteorites have left impact craters all over the planet's surface. 这个行星的表面布满了小块陨石留下的撞击坑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The battlefield was full of craters made by exploding shells. 战场上布满弹坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 gorges   

n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕

参考例句：

• The explorers were confronted with gorges(that were)almost impassable and rivers(that were)often unfordable. 探险人员面临着几乎是无路可通的峡谷和常常是无法渡过的河流。 来自辞典例句
• We visited the Yangtse Gorges last summer. 去年夏天我们游历了长江三峡。 来自辞典例句

4 caverns   

大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Within were dark caverns; what was inside them, no one could see. 里面是一个黑洞，这里面有什么东西，谁也望不见。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• UNDERGROUND Under water grottos, caverns Filled with apes That eat figs. 在水帘洞里，挤满了猿争吃无花果。

5 spectacular   

adj.引人注目的，出色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• This is a spectacular film.这是一部场面壮观的电影。
• This is the most spectacular financial crash of the decade.这是10年里最引人注目的金融破产事件。

6 massive   

adj.巨大的，大规模的，大量的，大范围的

参考例句：

• A massive sea search has failed to find any survivors.经过大规模的海上搜救仍未找到幸存者。
• He drank a massive amount of alcohol.他喝了大量的烈酒。

7 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

8 incredible   

adj.难以置信的，不可信的，极好的，大量的

参考例句：

• Some planets run at incredible speed.某些星球以难以置信的速度运行着。
• Her answer showed the most incredible stupidity.她的回答显示出不可思议的愚蠢。

9 inclined   

a.有…倾向的

参考例句：

• She was inclined to trust him. 她愿意相信他。
• He inclined towards the speaker to hear more clearly. 他把身体倾向发言人，以便听得更清楚些。