【英语趣味课堂】乐队-Band

 Todd: So Alex you were saying that you took trips, band trips.

 

Alex: Yes, sir.

 

Todd: OK, so why don't you talk about a band trip.

 

Alex: OK, let's see. The band trip we went to Florida, Disneyland actually. It was a lot of fun. Actually getting the money for the band trip, I had to fundraise a lot, and that was just a big humongous problem, cause, I don't know, the band organization was kind of disorganized, anyway, so the band trip, we went to Disneyland. It was a lot of fun, but we ended up playing frisbee¹ all the time because we had nothing better to do really, and to tell you the truth I like Disneyland, but it's kind of kiddish to tell you the truth, um but it's a lot of fun. We actually, where did we march, Epcot.

 

Todd: Oh, the Epcot Center.

 

Alex: Yeah, we marched around the Epcot center an hour or a half or so.

 

Todd: So how long was the trip down there?

 

Alex: Oh, we actually, we flew so, it wasn't that long. A couple of hours at most. The funny part is, half the band isn't, they hadn't flown before the actual trip so everybody was kind of nervous. It was kind of funny, but yeah I made a lot of friends. It was very interesting. I mean I got made of, made fun of, excuse me, in school, because you know the whole marching band, band geek, whatever but it was a lot of fun. You make a lot of friends and you just get out there and do what you like and it's a lot of fun.

 

Todd: Oh, that sounds like a fun trip. So when you were at Disneyland did you see Mickey mouse?

 

Alex: Yes, I did.

 

学习内容：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

fundraise

 

I had to fundraise a lot for that band trip.

 

When you ask people or companies to give money for an event you are 'fundraising.'  Sometimes they just give the money or sometimes you sell things and the profits go towards an event. Notice the following:

 

The school wants the children to fundraise for the new library.

All the children are fundraising for the choir² trip to Florida.

humongous problem

 

Getting the money for the trip was a humongous problem.

 

'Humongous' means³ really really big, so a humongous problem is really really big. Notice the following:

 

You have has some humongous problems in your life recently.

Transportation⁴ is a humongous problem in this city.

ended up

 

We ended up playing Frisbee all the time because we had nothing better to do.

 

What you 'end up' doing is what you actually do, regardless⁵ of what the original plan was. Notice the following:

 

We ended up buying a new car a few weeks ago.

What kind of pie did you end up making.

kiddish

 

I like Disneyland, but it's kind of kiddish.

 

If something is made for children it is 'kiddish.' Notice the following:

 

The birthday party was kiddish for a fifteenth birthday party.

I thought the movie was a little kiddish.

made fun of

 

I got made fun of in school because of that incident⁶.

 

When people 'make fun of' someone else they say things about that person to make other people laugh. Usually making fun of someone is not a nice thing to do, but sometimes with close friends or family it is a sign of affection⁷. Notice the following:

 

Do your brothers make fun of you?

She got made fun of a lot when she was younger.

 

1 frisbee   

n.飞盘(塑料玩具)

参考例句：

• We always go to the park on weekends and play Frisbee.我们每个周末都会到公园玩飞盘。
• The frisbee is a light plastic disc,shaped like a plate.飞盘是一种碟形塑料盘。

2 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

3 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

4 transportation   

n.运输，运输系统，运输工具

参考例句：

• The transportation of goods by air costs a lot.航空运输货物花费很高。
• He finally solved the difficulty of transportation.他终于解决了运输的困难。

5 regardless   

adj.不留心的，不注意的；不管，不顾；adv.无论如何，不管怎样

参考例句：

• I protested,but she carried on regardless.我极力反对，但她仍一意孤行。
• I shall go regardless of the weather.无论天气好坏我都要去。

6 incident   

n.附带事件，小事件；事件，事变；adj.易发生的；附属的；入射的

参考例句：

• With the passage of time the incident was forgotten.随着时间的消逝，那个事件被忘却了。
• The incident had left him visibly angry and upset.那起事件显然让他既恼火又心烦。

7 affection   

n.喜爱；爱慕，感情；倾向，意向

参考例句：

• The handsome young man excited affection in a girl.那位英俊的年轻男子引起了一个女孩的爱慕之情。
• He has a deep affection for his old friend.他对老朋友感情很深。