【英语趣味课堂】墨西哥的假期-Mexican Vacation

Todd: Simon, when you were younger, did you take vacations with your family?

 

Simon: Yes, I did.

 

Todd: OK, where did you go?

 

Simon: Well, I went to many places, but I have one memorable¹ experience. I went to Baja, California.

 

Todd: Baja, California. Nice. Can you explain where Baja, California is?

 

Simon: Actually, it's not in California. It's south of California. It's in Mexico, and it's on the west side of Mexico, below California, of course, and it's a desert surrounded by beautiful ocean. Todd: Oh, sounds good. Sounds nice. What's the landscape like?

 

Simon: Dry, dusty, and beautiful.

 

Todd: So it's a desert?

 

Simon: Yeah, it's a desert with lots of cacti².

 

Todd: Oh, OK. What are cacti?

 

Simon: Well, maybe you know what a cactus³ is. It's a, you know, the desert plant from Cowboy movies, and it has needles which stick and hurt and it's green, but yeah. That's about it and beautiful blue waters.

 

Todd: You mean water from the ocean.

 

Simon: Water from the ocean. There's no water on the land. You know, there's no lakes, probably no rivers, just dust, yeah!

 

Todd: How did you get there?

 

Simon: I drove.

 

Todd: You drove?

 

Simon: Yeah! We drove. I didn't drive. I was too young but my parents drove. Baja is very long. It's about 2,000 miles, or 2,000 kilometers and we drove.

 

Todd: What do you remember most about your trip?

 

Simon: Well, I remember the color of the water, the white sandy beaches, and the desert at dusk⁴. It's a pretty cool place, you know.

 

Todd: How long did you stay for your vacation?

 

Simon: 6 weeks.

 

Todd: 6 weeks. That's a long time.

 

Simon: Yeah, well, my parents were a little bit different from other parents.

 

Todd: Sounds like a really good time. So do you plan to back to Baja sometime?

 

Simon: I hope so. Yeah. But I won't prick⁵ myself on a cactus.

 

Todd: OK. Well, take me. I want to go, too.

 

Simon: OK.

 

学习内容：

 

memorable

 

We went to many places, but I have one memorable experience, which is in Baja. 

If an event is 'memorable' it is special and something that you will remember. We usually use this talk about positive experiences, but it can be used for negative memories as well. Notice the following:

 

This will definitely⁶ be a memorable experience.

Thank you for making this a memorable birthday for me.

landscape

 

What's the landscape in Baja, California like? 

The 'landscape' is the natural form or the land and how it looks over a long, open distance. Notice the following:

 

Why would they build a city in a landscape like this?

The landscape in this part of the country is really boring.

cactus, cacti

 

Baja is a desert with lots of cacti, and it's dry and dusty. 

A 'cactus' is a desert plant that can grow without a lot of water. It has sharp needles that stick out of it and sometimes grows flowers or fruit. 'Cacti' is the plural⁷ of cactus. Notice the following:

 

There is nothing around here except for cacti.

A cactus is a great plant to have in the house because it can survive for a long time if you forget to water it.

needles

 

Cactus is a desert plant that has needles which stick and hurt. 

Cactus 'needles,' like the needles you use for sewing something, are long, thin objects with a sharp point at one end. If you push your hand against them they will enter your skin and make you bleed. Notice the following:

 

Sea urchins⁸ use their needles to sting⁹ fish and kill them.

A cactus has needles to protect it from animals.

prick

 

I hope to go back to Baja, but I won't prick myself on a cactus. 

You 'prick' yourself with something sharp when it enters your skin and makes you bleed. Notice the following:

 

A small piece of wood pricked¹⁰ my skin when I was carrying that desk.

It is very easy to prick yourself if you aren't careful when you hold a rose.

1 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

2 cacti   

n.（复）仙人掌

参考例句：

• There we could see nothing but cacti.那里除了仙人掌我们什么也看不到。
• Cacti can survive the lack of rainfall in the desert.仙人掌在降水稀少的沙漠中也能生存下去。

3 cactus   

n.仙人掌

参考例句：

• It was the first year that the cactus had produced flowers.这是这棵仙人掌第一年开花。
• The giant cactus is the vegetable skycraper.高大的仙人掌是植物界巨人。

4 dusk   

n.薄暮，黄昏，幽暗

参考例句：

• The park closes at dusk.公园在黄昏时关闭。
• At dusk bats appear in vast numbers.蝙蝠于傍晚时分大批出现。

5 prick   

v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛

参考例句：

• He felt a sharp prick when he stepped on an upturned nail.当他踩在一个尖朝上的钉子上时，他感到剧烈的疼痛。
• He burst the balloon with a prick of the pin.他用针一戳，气球就爆了。

6 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。

7 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

8 urchins   

n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆

参考例句：

• Some dozen barefooted urchins ganged in from the riverside. 几十个赤足的顽童从河边成群结队而来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• People said that he had jaundice and urchins nicknamed him "Yellow Fellow." 别人说他是黄胆病，孩子们也就叫他“黄胖”了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

9 sting   

vt.激怒，刺痛，刺伤，蛰伤；n.刺痛，刺伤

参考例句：

• Most flies do not sting.大多数苍蝇不叮人。
• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。

10 pricked   

刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。