【英语趣味课堂】威尔士的海岸线-The Welsh Coastline

Dai: OK so, Sharron, you’re from Wales.

Sharron: That’s right.

 

Dai: In a place called Pembrokeshire?

 

Sharron: Yes.

 

Dai: Tell me about what you do there.

 

Sharron: I work for Pembrokeshire Coast National Authority¹ which is an organization that helps landowners maintain² the coastal³ areas mainly. We do have some land in the Preseli Mountains and the Gwynne Valley which is a beautiful wooded area, but mainly it’s the coastal area and the coastal path is one of the big things we push with the tourists. ‘

 

Dai: So is it a protected area or...?

 

Sharron: Yeah, it’s protected and we help maintain it by cutting back the paths and maintaining⁴ the right of way for people so that they can walk the whole of the coastal path which is from St. Dogmaels in the north right around the coast, 186 miles ‘round to Amroth in the south.

 

Dai: So you get a lot of visitors who want to do that kind of outdoor activity?

 

Sharron: Yeah, we get lots of inquiries⁵ in my job from people who ask about how they go about planning a trip. Mainly, people will take, say, two weeks off work to come and walk, say, ten miles or so everyday, staying in youth hostels⁶, bed and breakfast places, hotels, or camping every night and then carry on walking the next day.

 

Dai: So I guess there is a lot of activities and things for them to do in that area?

 

Sharron: Yeah, there is some lovely things to do and some great things to see. I mean, you can do all sorts of water sports in the area.

 

Dai: Oh really? What kind of water sports?

 

Sharron: Surfing, sailing, there’s lots of places 'cause it’s all mainly on the coast that most visitors come to see. Places like St. David’s, Tembe, most of those areas will have great outlets⁷ for, and organizations that will run courses for things like coasteering which is a great activity to do.

 

Dai: So if it’s a, I guess, if it’s a protected area, is there a lot of wildlife and...?

 

Sharron: Yeah, there’s a huge amount of wildlife and one of the main activities that a lot of people like to do is to come and go on the boat trips to some of the islands such as Ramsey, Skockholm, Skomer. You can take boat trips especially to somewhere like Skomer and between the end of May to about the middle of July, you can go over to Skomer for the day and watch the Puffins landing⁸ with beaks⁹ full of fish and running into their little burrows¹⁰ underground to feed their chicks.

 

Dai: Oh wow.

 

Sharron: But they're only there for sort of a couple of months, but there’s plenty of other wildlife to see. There’s rabbits, owls¹¹, all sorts of voles and unusual animals you can see on the island as well. It’s a really good day out.

 

Dai: Yeah, sounds like an interesting place.

 

Sharron: Yeah, excellent.

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

protected area

 

The park is a protected area.

 

We protect an area to keep its natural environment safe.  Notice the following:

 

The forest is now a protected area. You cannot cut trees there.

That land is now a protected area so you cannot build houses.

the right of way

 

We help maintain the right of way so people can walk the whole of the coastal path.

 

Here, 'right of way' means a place where it's OK for people to walk or travel.  Notice the following:

 

Cyclists do not have the right of way on the road. Cars do.

You cannot sell food along the right of way.

inquiry¹²

 

We get lots of inquiries about the local area.

 

In a sentence, the word 'inquiry' can almost always be replaced by the word 'question'.  Notice the following:

 

The restaurant gets a lot of inquiries from people wanting jobs.

Mary handles all inquiries at the front desk.

how to go about doing something

 

People ask how they go about planning a trip.

 

'How to go about' something is similar in meaning to 'how to do' something.  Notice the following:

 

I am not sure how to go about asking her on a date.

How do I go about reserving a room?

or so

 

You walk ten miles or so everyday.

 

We use the phrase 'or so' when the number we are talking about is not exact.  Notice the following:

 

It should take you twenty minutes or so to drive there.

The beach is about six miles or so from the hotel.

1 authority   

n.当局，官方；权力，权威，威信；当权者

参考例句：

• He is recognized internationally as an authority in this field.国际上承认他是这方面的一个权威。
• Professor White is looked upon as an authority on mathematics.怀特教授被看成数学权威。

2 maintain   

vt.支撑；赡养，抚养；维持，保有

参考例句：

• He has to maintain a large family on a small salary.他不得不依靠很少的工资养活一家人。
• We must do our best to maintain sales at their usual rate.我们要尽力使销售额保持在平日的水平上。

3 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

4 maintaining   

保持( maintain的现在分词 )； 保养； 坚持； 保卫

参考例句：

• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem. 维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。
• It's endless work maintaining the house in good repair. 要让房屋保持得很好是件干不完的活。

5 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 hostels   

n.旅舍，招待所( hostel的名词复数 )；青年宿舍

参考例句：

• The students were protesting at overcrowding in the university hostels. 学生们在抗议大学宿舍过于拥挤。 来自辞典例句
• Are there any cheap hostels in Nanjing for one person? 南京有没有便宜的旅店可以一个人住？ 来自互联网

7 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 landing   

n.登陆；着陆；楼梯平台

参考例句：

• Owing to engine trouble,the plane had to make a forced landing.由于发动机出了毛病，飞机不得不进行迫降。
• When are we landing?我们什么时候着陆？

9 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网

10 burrows   

n.地洞( burrow的名词复数 )v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的第三人称单数 )；翻寻

参考例句：

• The intertidal beach unit contains some organism burrows. 潮间海滩单元含有一些生物潜穴。 来自辞典例句
• A mole burrows its way through the ground. 鼹鼠会在地下钻洞前进。 来自辞典例句

11 owls   

n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。 来自辞典例句

12 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。