【英语趣味课堂】擅长英语-Good at English

 Todd: Now, Christian¹, you're English is amazing. Perfect actually.

 

Christian: Thank you.

 

 

Todd: And many people from Norway have excellent English. What is the secret about Norway?

 

Christian: I don't know. I actually heard that before that I meet a lot of people and they say,"Oh, you're from Norway. Norwegian people speak such good English. Why is that?" Personally I think it's because we get a lot of exposure² to English, through TV, music, media, everything, and we don't dub³ movies and TV programs like they do in many other countries. We get subtitles⁴. And the same with music. English music is very, very popular. Probably more popular that Norwegian music, and I guess as well the education system provides us with really good, you know, teaching⁵ so, I mean all those combined together, you know, creates, how to say.

 

Todd: Super speakers!

 

Christian: I don't know super speakers. It's a good combination⁶, I guess in term of learning⁷ the language, so, you know, and a lot of Norwegians travel as well and they have time to practice as well, which is important if you want to speak English well.

 

Todd: Sure, well, how difficult is it to learn Norwegian?

 

Christian: That is probably more difficult that English, I'd say, but it's interesting I have a private Japanese student at the moment and he went to Norway on exchange from his university here in Japan and he didn't speak a word of Norwegian before he went but he spent the year there, and he now can have a decent⁸ conversation with me in Norwegian. That's three years ago since he went there, but still he speaks pretty well.

 

学习内容：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

personally

 

Personally I think it's because we get a lot of exposure to English.

 

We can use the word "personally" in a sentence where we state our opinion.  It is like saying, "You don't have to agree with me, but I think this."  Notice the following:

 

Personally, I never completely believe his stories.

How do you feel personally?

exposure

 

We get a lot of exposure to English through TV.

 

"Exposure" to English is seeing it or hearing it.  If we are exposed to something it is around us even if we don't look for it.  Notice the following:

 

Children have a lot of exposure to violence on television.

Did you have much exposure to travel when you were younger?

dub

 

We don't dub movies.

 

When you "dub" a movie you replace the voices of the real actors with someone saying the same thing, but in your language.  A movie that was originally made in English may be dubbed⁹ in French or Spanish, for example.  Notice the following:

 

Because the movie was dubbed, the characters' mouths did not move with the words.

Do you prefer to watch dubbed movies or movies with subtitles?

subtitles

 

We get subtitles.

 

"Subtitles" are the translated words that appear at the bottom of the screen if you watch a movie that is in a different language.  Notice the following:

 

There are subtitles in Spanish, French and English only.

Do you want to watch the movie with the subtitles on?

decent

 

He now can have a decent conversation with us.

 

A "decent conversation" is one that is respectable¹⁰, appropriate and probably informed.  Referring to the example, maybe before he had nothing interesting to say and now he does.  Notice the following:

 

That was the first decent conversation I ever had with her.

Do you have some free time later? It would be nice to have a decent conversation about this.

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 exposure   

n.暴露，面临；揭露，揭发；曝光

参考例句：

• After only a short exposure to sunlight he began to turn red.他在阳光下只晒了一会儿，皮肤就开始变红了。
• I threatened them with public exposure.我扬言要公开揭发他们。

3 dub   

vt.（以某种称号）授予，给...起绰号，复制

参考例句：

• I intend to use simultaneous recording to dub this film.我打算采用同期录音的方法为这部影片配音。
• It was dubbed into Spanish for Mexican audiences.它被译制成西班牙语以方便墨西哥观众观看。

4 subtitles   

n.说明字幕，印在外国影片上的对白翻译字幕，译文对白字幕；小标题，副标题( subtitle的名词复数 )；（电影的）字幕

参考例句：

• subtitles for the deaf and the hard of hearing 为耳聋和听力不佳者打出的字幕
• a Polish film with English subtitles 附有英语字幕的波兰影片

5 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

6 combination   

n.组合，合并，联合；

参考例句：

• He carried on the business in combination with his friends.他与朋友们合伙做生意。
• The materials can be used singly or in combination.这些材料可以单独使用也可以混合用。

7 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

8 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。

9 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 respectable   

n.品格高尚的人；adj.值得尊重的，人格高尚的，不少的

参考例句：

• She seems respectable enough.她看上去挺体面的。
• His savings were just enough to pay for a respectable funeral.他的存款刚好够办一个体面的葬礼。