【一起听英语】爬树（2）

围绕树木展开的话题....

Dan: Hello and welcome to this week’s 6 Minute English. I’m Dan Walker Smith

and today, for the second part of our tree climbing programme, I’m joined by

Kate.

OK Kate, well last week we were talking about tree climbing, and we covered

some interesting vocabulary, including the parts of the tree. So could you

quickly remind us of some of those?

Kate: Of course. The trunk is the main body of the tree, the branches are the tree’s

‘arms’, and the leaves are the flat green parts at the end of the branches.

Dan: Later on in the show we’re going to be talking about the world’s tallest tree,

but this week's question for you Kate is: where would you find the world’s

oldest tree? Is it:

a) in Australia

b) in Tanzania

c) in Sweden

Kate: Ooh, that’s a really difficult question. I have no idea, but I’m going to guess,

and go for a) Australia.

Dan: We’ll see if you’re right at the end of the programme. Now let’s hear about the

world’s tallest tree. Here’s tree expert Tony Russell to tell us all about it. Have

a listen to the extract²; how tall is the tree? 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

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Extract 1

The biggest giant redwood is in California and it’s one called the General Sherman tree.

And it is an astonishing size. In height it’s about 275 feet tall. Its circumference³ at

ground level is over 100 feet; with a diameter across of 36 feet. Astonishing thing.

Dan: So the tree is around 275 feet tall. As Tony said, it’s an astonishing size. What

does astonishing mean here Kate?

Kate: Well astonishing can mean both surprising and amazing. If something’s

astonishing, it’s basically so incredible⁴ that you almost can’t believe it.

Dan: And as well as the height, Tony described the circumference and the

diameter of the tree. Now what do these words mean Kate?

Kate: They’re both words that relate to the tree’s size; circumference is the distance

around a circle or a round shape, and diameter would be the distance across a

circle, so in this case, across the width of the tree.

Dan: Can you imagine being at the top of that Kate?

Kate: Oh, I don’t think I’d want to be actually. I’m not very good with heights.

Dan: Well some people spend practically their whole lives climbing up trees. Last

week, for example, we heard from the professional tree climber James Aldred.

He was talking about how he started climbing. So let’s hear him again as he

goes up a tree. We join him just as he’s preparing to camp for the night, just

above the forest canopy⁵. What does he mean there Kate?

Kate: OK, well to camp means to sleep outdoors, usually in a tent or under some

sort of temporary shelter. And the canopy here is the upper layer. So in this

case it’s the forest’s ‘roof’. But it really means anything that spreads out above

you. 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

Page 3 of 5

Dan: Let’s have a listen to James as he prepares to camp. Can you tell me what he’s

going to sleep in instead of a bed?

Extract 2

So this is where I’m going to camp for the night. The sun is just about to dip beneath the

canopy level. I’m just above the canopy, the surrounding canopy. So if I rig¹ my

hammock here I should catch the last rays of sun.

Kate: Right, so James is setting up a hammock to sleep in. A hammock is a

swinging bed made of cloth or rope.

Dan: Let’s have a listen to the final extract. Here’s James at the top of the tree. He

says it’s a hell of a view from up there. Can you explain this Kate?

Kate: Well, saying it’s a hell of a view is an informal way of saying that the view is

incredible. The phrase ‘hell of a’ emphasises any quality you’re talking about,

whether it’s good or bad. And here it’s pretty obvious that James thinks the

view is amazing.

Dan: OK well let’s have a listen to the extract; how does he describe the area around

him?

Extract 3

It is a hell of a view from here; just looking out over endless forest. I can hear cars; I can

hear traffic, but I can’t see them. For all intents⁶ and purposes, I’m in the middle of

wilderness⁷.

Dan: So he says that for all intents and purposes he’s in the middle of wilderness.

Kate, what’s he saying here? 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

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Kate: OK, wilderness means an area of land that’s never been developed by man.

It’s still wild, so it’s called the wilderness.

Dan: And when he says for all intents and purposes?

Kate: This phrase, for all intents and purposes, means ‘in a practical sense’. So

James isn’t actually in the wilderness, but because he can’t see any cars or

buildings, for all intents and purposes, it appears like he is.

Dan: Well, we’re almost out of time, so let’s go over some of the vocabulary we’ve

come across today:

astonishing

circumference

diameter

to camp

canopy

hammock

hell of a…

for all intents and purposes

wilderness

Dan: And today’s question was Kate: in which country would you find the world’s

oldest living tree?

Kate: And I took a complete guess and said Australia.

Dan: I was quite surprised by this; the answer is in fact Sweden.

Kate: Wow! That is surprising! 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

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Dan: You wouldn’t expect it to be in Sweden. It doesn’t strike me as the kind of

place to have that sort of wilderness about it.

The tree itself is a Norway spruce called Old Tjikko. And apparently⁸ it’s 9,550

years old!

Kate: Wow! That’s so old!

Dan: That’s almost 5,000 years older than the second oldest recorded tree, which

can be found in California. But Kate, could you tell us about the largest tree in

the world?

Kate: Well, the largest tree by volume, including all its trunk, branches, and leaves,

is called El Tule, and can be found in Mexico. It has a circumference of

119 feet, so it’s 36 metres around the base. And its diameter is 38 feet, which

is almost 12 metres across.

Dan: I’ve actually been to that tree, and it is massive⁹, absolutely huge.

Kate: Oh I can hardly even imagine it.

Dan: It’s odd, because it’s not very tall; it just goes on and on. It’s the size of a

house basically; it’s absolutely massive.

Kate: Wow!

Dan: But I’m afraid that’s all we have time for here this week, so thanks very much

for listening, and goodbye!

Kate: Goodbye! 

1 rig   

n.装备，帆具，服装；v. 装配，装扮，垄断

参考例句：

• They rig their domestic markets in favour of local businesses.他们操纵国内市场以使当地企业受益。
• Our camping rig includes cooking pots and sleeping bags.我们的野营装备包括锅子和睡袋。

2 extract   

vt.取出，提取，获得，摘录；n.摘录，提出物

参考例句：

• The article was a choice extract from her writings.这篇文章是从她的著作中摘录出来的精粹。
• We can extract oil from olive.我们可以从橄榄中榨油。

3 circumference   

n.圆周，周长，圆周线

参考例句：

• It's a mile round the circumference of the field.运动场周长一英里。
• The diameter and the circumference of a circle correlate.圆的直径与圆周有相互关系。

4 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。

5 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

6 intents   

意图( intent的名词复数 )； 意向； 几乎完全； 差不多等于

参考例句：

• The work is, to all intents and purposes, finished. 那项工作实际上已经完成了。
• The revised edition is to all intents and purposes a new book. 修订本实际上是一本新书。

7 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 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。