【英语趣味课堂】很大的改变-The Big Change

 Todd: So, Alexandra, you said that you were born in Miami.

 

Alexandra: Yes, I was.

 

Todd: And you still live there?

 

Alexandra: Yes, I am, I do live there, now.

 

Todd: Has the city changed a lot?

 

Alexandra: Actually it has. As a young kid, there was a lot more freedom as a child to just run around your neighborhood or ride your bike, go to school without being escorted² by a parent or going on a bus, you could walk to school or ride your bike to school. Now there are so many more people in the city and the demographics have changed due to a hurricane we had about ten or twelve years ago, and so it's, the parents now have to be more vigilant³ with their children. Be more careful. There's more people.

 

Todd: You said a hurricane changed the demographics.

 

Alexandra: Yes, in, Hurricane Andrew had come into Florida, lower, southern Florida, and had completely demolished⁴ this south of Miami, a city called homestead, and all those residents moved up to Miami, and many of the residents in Miami that had damage from the hurricane moved up to the next county up. So you have a completely different demographic coming in. Many people from other parts that were affected⁵ in South Florida also moved up, and also the people that are originally in Miami, some even moved out of the state. They had enough of hurricanes. You get a category five which is probably the strongest hurricane there is, blow through and completely destroy your home, you really don't want to stick around anymore for another taste, so and also Miami has become a very popular place to come and live and work, so you have an increase in population, and different types of population. As I said before there's many different people's from different countries and every so often you have a new wave of immigrants coming in, so it changes things.

 

学习内容：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

escort¹

 

Without being escorted by a parent.

 

If you are 'escorted' by someone they take you from one place to another to make sure you arrive safely. Notice the following:

 

Many famous people have escorts⁶ for protection.

There are people who will escort you to your seat.

demographic

 

The demographics have changed due to a hurricane.

 

'Demographics' of an area are the statics about the population of that area. For example, information about age, gender⁷ or race are demographic information. Notice the following:

 

Democraphically this is a young country.

The demographics of many countries have changed a lot during wars.

vigilant

 

Parents now have to be more vigilant with their children.

 

A person who is 'vigilant' is alert⁸ and aware of what is happening around them. A vigilant parent is very aware of what his child does. Notice the following:

 

He is more vigilant about things now than when he was younger.

She is extremely vigilant about what her children eat.

to stick around

 

You really don't want to stick around.

 

To 'stick around' a place means to stay there longer than you have intended to stay. Notice the following:

 

He always sticks around longer than you want him to.

I want to stick around here until I get a good answer.

new wave

 

You have a new wave of immigrants coming in.

 

A 'wave' of people is a group of people that enter a place at the same time. A 'new wave' would be the people who have arrived most recently. Notice the following:

 

There is usually a wave of people at lunch and then a new wave at dinner.

People have been coming in waves most of the day.

 

1 escort   

n.护卫者，护送者；vt.护送，护卫

参考例句：

• The prisoner was taken under escort to the jail.罪犯被押送到监狱。
• Her escort to the party was a tall young man.陪同她参加晚会的是一位高个子男青年。

2 escorted   

护送，护卫( escort的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Anyone who interrupts again will be escorted from the meeting. 任何人再捣乱都将被押出会场。
• The child was escorted by a doctor to the hospital. 这个孩子由医生护送到医院去了。

3 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

4 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 escorts   

护送者( escort的名词复数 )； 护航舰； 陪同某人参加社交活动的人（尤指男人）； 受雇陪同某人外出社交的人（尤指女人）

参考例句：

• Armed escorts are provided for visiting heads of state. 来访的国家元首由武装卫队护送。
• In the region of Chufu we gathered an army of military escorts. 在曲阜境内，有一支军队保护我们。

7 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

8 alert   

adj.机警的，活泼的，机灵的；vt.使...警觉

参考例句：

• Drivers must be on the alert for traffic signals.驾驶员必须密切注意交通信号。
• The rabbIt'seems to be very alert all its life.兔子似乎一生都小心翼翼，十分警觉。