【英语趣味课堂】童年-Childhood

 Todd: OK. Hello?

Kevin: Hi! How you doing?

 

Todd: I'm doing pretty good.

 

Kevin: Good.

 

Todd: What's your name?

 

Kevin: My name is Kevin.

 

Todd: Kevin. Where are you from?

 

Kevin: I'm from Pheonix, Arizona.

 

Todd: OK. Nice.

 

Kevin: In the United¹ States.

 

Todd: Wow, were you born in Phoenix²?

 

Kevin: Actually, no. I was actually born in New York because my parents happened to be living in New York at that time . My father was a Major League baseball player and the year I was born, 1971, he was playing with the Mets in New York City. My birthday is in May, May 25th to be precise³, and so my mother happened to be with my father in New York because it was baseball season. So I was actually born in New York but I grew up in Phoenix. Phoenix is what I consider to be my home town.

 

Todd: Wow! That's amazing. Do you remember anything about New York?

 

Kevin: Yes. Actually, I do have a few memories because we spent probably three years there from the time I was born. Obviously⁴, until I was about two and a half or three years, we spent the summers or the baseball season in New York. We rented a condominium on the second floor and I remember it was right across the street from La Guardia Airport. Of course, when I was a little kid, one and two years old, I used to love sitting by the kitchen windows. I even remember it was a bay⁵ window, the kind where you can roll the window open. I used to roll the window open and just watch the airplanes take off and land all day.

 

Todd: Wow! That's cool.

 

Kevin: Another memory I have is the people, the couple that lived below us was an elderly⁶ couple and they acted pretty much like our grandparents. I actually called them Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma Stevenson used to give me a bath in her kitchen sink because I was so small.

 

Todd: Wow!

 

Kevin: That she would actually give me a bath in her kitchen sink and I remember that as well.

 

Todd: Wow, those are good memories.

 

学习内容：

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

doing pretty good

[How are you doing?] I'm doing pretty good.

The phrase⁷ 'doing pretty good' is a common answer to questions about how we feel. Notice the following:

 

She's doing pretty good for just having surgery⁸.

He's doing pretty good in school now.

happened to (be)

My parents happened to be living in New York at that time.

We use the phrase 'happened to be' a coincidence or things that are suprising.  Notice the following:

 

I happened to be sitting at a coffee shop when the accident happened.

She happened to see Britney Spears⁹ crossing the street.

to be precise

My birthday is in May, May 25th to be precise.

We use the phrase 'to be precise' when we want to give exact information about something.  Notice the following:

 

It must be at least 90 degrees.  The thermometer¹⁰ says 92 to be precise.

He's in his 50's, fifty-four to be precise.

sit by

I used to love sitting by the kitchen windows.

If you 'sit by' something you sit near to it.  Notice the following:

 

She prefers to sit next to the door in class.

It's nice to sit next to the fire in the winter.

roll (the window) open

I used to roll the window open and just watch the airplanes take off and land.

To 'roll a window open' is to use a hand crank to open it.  Notice the following:

 

You have to roll the car window open because it's not electric.

It is cold. Please roll up the window.

take off and land

The airplanes take off and land all day.

When a plane takes off, it leaves the airport and when it lands, it returns to an airport. Notice the following:

 

You can't use a phone when a plane takes off or lands.

What time did the plane land?

 

1 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

2 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

3 precise   

adj.精确的，恰好的，极清楚的

参考例句：

• At that precise moment, Miss Pulteney came into the office.就在那时，普尔特尼小姐走进了办公室。
• A scientist must be precise in making tests.科学家做试验必须精确。

4 obviously   

adv.显然；明白地

参考例句：

• Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.显然他们是在给他以严峻的考验。
• Obviously he was lying.显然他是在撒谎。

5 bay   

n.海湾，狗吠声，月桂；vt.吠，使走投无路；vi.吠

参考例句：

• I enjoy the view of the bay in the starlight.我喜欢星光下的海湾风景。
• Dogs sometimes bay at the moon.狗有时会朝着月亮吠叫。

6 elderly   

adj.年老的；年龄相当大的

参考例句：

• He is getting elderly.他逐渐变老了。
• The elderly man is quite energetic.这位上了年纪的老人仍精力充沛。

7 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。

8 surgery   

n.外科，外科手术；手术室

参考例句：

• What time does surgery finish?门诊什么时间结束？
• Your condition is serious and requires surgery.你的情况很严重，需要动外科手术。

9 spears   

矛( spear的名词复数 )； 枪； （某些植物的）嫩枝； 幼芽

参考例句：

• Spears hurtled against shields. 矛猛击在盾上。
• With a flourish of their spears, the two men started sparring with each other. 两人拿长枪一比试，便打了起来。

10 thermometer   

n.温度计，寒暑表

参考例句：

• She put the thermometer in his mouth.她把体温表放入他口中。
• The thermometer fell to zero last night.寒暑表昨夜降至零度。