【英语趣味课堂】墨尔本-Melbourne

Todd: Now, Aaron, you're from Melbourne.

 

Aaron: That's right.

 

Todd: What's melbourne like?

 

Aaron: Melbourne's the second biggest city in Australia but there's a big city area with big buildings, then there's a lot of houses and then it runs into the countryside, where it's just hills and mountains and a lot of greenery basically¹. The city is center is busy but it's not very busy. It's not as busy as Tokyo or New York. It's just a busy city but then it just slows down as you move away from the city

 

Todd: Is it easy to find housing²?

 

Aaron: It's very easy to find housing. There's a lot of hotels, accommodation, and a lot of places to rent. You can buy houses quite cheaply in Melbourne as well and there's only about 5 million people there so it's not crowded as well.

 

Todd: How much would a house cost? A decent³ house?

 

Aaron: A decent house in Australia, or in Melbourne, would cost about 250,000 Australian dollars, which I guess compared to Japanese prices, isn't so bad, and that would be a big 4 bedroom house, maybe two stories.

 

Todd: Wow! Front yard and backyard?

 

Aaron: Front yard, back yard, driveway, garage, 4 bedrooms.

 

Todd: What's the transportation like in the city?

 

Aaron: The transportation is very good, but it's very slow. You have to wait twenty minutes for trains. They only run every twenty minutes, but the buses and the trams will take you to wherever you want to go, but the trains are very centralized, so they all run into the city, through four major train stops, and then they run back out to the suburbs⁴ on a big loop⁵ so they never crossover each other and you have to catch buses if you want to go away from the city.

 

Todd: Is it a safe city?

 

Aaron: It is a safe city but like any place it has it's troubles but you don't have to worry about living in Melbourne.

 

学习内容：

 

second biggest

 

Melbourne is the second biggest city in Australia.

 

We put the word 'second' in front of a superlative like 'biggest' to show that we are not talking about the biggest city, but the one that is closest in size or number to the biggest. 'Second' can be used with any superlative. Notice the following:

 

This is the second tallest apartment in the city.

What is the second biggest animal on earth.

slow down

 

Melbourne is a busy city, but then it slows down as you move away from it.

 

If something 'slows down' it becomes less fast or decreases in speed. Notice the following:

 

The activity in the city really slows down on Sundays.

The doctor told him that he needs to slow down and try to relax more.

compared to

 

A decent house in Melbourne would cost about 250,000 Australian dollars, which I guess isn't so bad compared to Japanese prices.

 

Use the phrase 'compared to' to show similarities or differences between two things. Notice the following:

 

Most cities are small compared to Tokyo.

Compared to my brother and sister I'm old.

centralized

 

The trains in Melbourne are very centralized, so they all run into the city through major train stops.

 

If something is 'centralized' it means that things are very close to each other.  In a city, this would mean that everything you need would be very near to you. Notice the following:

 

The city is huge, but the area where I live is centralized.

We want to have the convention⁶ in a centralized location.

cross over

 

The trains in Melbourne run back out to the suburbs on a big loop, so they never cross over each other.

 

If one train route 'crosses over' another it means that they have an intersection⁷ or a place where they come together. Notice the following:

 

This road crosses over Washington Avenue in two blocks.

Where does this road cross over the river?

1 basically   

adv.基本上，从根本上说

参考例句：

• His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
• Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。

2 housing   

n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩

参考例句：

• Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗？
• The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来，房屋的销售量日趋减少。

3 decent   

adj.象样的，不错的，体面的，正派的，恰当的

参考例句：

• We want to raise our children to be decent men and women.我们盼望把孩子们培养成优秀人才。
• There isn't even a decent table in this room.这屋里连张像样的桌子也没有。

4 suburbs   

n.郊区，城郊( suburb的名词复数 )；四乡；隧；四郊

参考例句：

• The poor suburbs traditionally formed the bedrock of the party's support. 贫穷的郊区在传统上构成了支持该党的牢固基础。
• The new college will be located in the suburbs. 这所新建的学院将设在郊区。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 loop   

n.圈，环(状物)；回路，循环；v.(使)成环

参考例句：

• Loop the curtains up.把窗帘卷起来。
• He bends a wire into a loop.他将铁线弯成圆圈。

6 convention   

n.惯例，习俗，常规，会议，大会

参考例句：

• How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到？
• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。

7 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。