【英语趣味课堂】住在岛屿上还是住在城市里-Living in the Island or in the City

 Mark: It's funny when we lived in Ogasawara though, isn't it? There were so many positive things but there is also certain things we missed. But firstly, can you recall any of those really, really special positive things that felt when you lived there?

 

Sorie: It was just a very peaceful lifestyle, very connected to nature. The beaches were gorgeous¹. The weather was really nice. People were very warm, but yeah, after last year, that was the hardest for me. I started to miss so many things about living in mainland Japan.

 

Mark: What kind of things did you miss?

 

Sorie: I missed going to the movies, going to a café and sitting down and reading books and reading magazines, and all of that that comes with a big city, the cultural aspects of it.

 

What about you? What did you miss?

 

Mark: Yeah, those things like everything was so naturally confined, so you could—the entertainment, you knew what was going to happen. So when we came back to mainland Japan, they're so unpredictable, you could, as you say, go for a drive or take a train and stumble² across some café or some restaurant that you've never seen before and go in and you're anonymous³ and they had a menu that you never seen before. And you could sit there and then read and enjoy that. And it was impossible to enjoy that in Ogasawara, to do such things. And there certainly wasn't any cinemas or anything like that or shopping centers or modern things.

 

Sorie: Would you like to go back?

 

Mark: I'd love to go back there because the community was so strong and so solid. And it felt—I wasn't born there and I'm not even Japanese but I felt completely like I was in my hometown every time I was there and totally accepted in the place and in the community.

 

But as we found out since we've left there, the world is huge and there's so many communities and so many places all over the world. And I could go back, but I could go to a new place equally. How about you?

 

Sorie: Personally, I found it too difficult to live so close to nature. I'd say that was a great experience but I wouldn't do it again.

 

Mark: You wouldn't like to live so close to nature anymore.

 

Sorie: In an island. Yeah, that's one of the things that made it so difficult. But overall, it was a wonderful experience and I recommend people to go there and see all the beautiful nature that Ogasawara has.

 

Mark: Such nice memories.

 

End of Transcript⁴

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson!

connected to nature

 

We felt connected to nature.

 

When you are connected to nature, it is a part of your life. Notice the following:

 

In the countryside, I feel connected to nature.

You do not feel connected to nature in a big city.

aspect

 

 

I like the cultural aspects of it.

 

An aspect is one part of connected or similar things. Notice the following:

 

Stretching is one aspect of fitness⁵ people overlook⁶.

Spending time with family is one aspect of a happy life.

unpredictable

 

 

They're so unpredictable.

 

If something is unpredictable, you are unsure how it will act in the future. Notice the following:

 

The future is unpredictable.

The market is very unpredictable. You do not know what it will do.

stumble across

 

 

We stumbled⁷ across a nice café.

 

When you stumble across something, you find it by accident. Notice the following:

 

I stumbled across some old photos in the attic⁸.

We stumbled across a nice Thai restaurant.

anonymous

 

 

You go in and you're anonymous.

 

When you are anonymous, people do not know whe you are. Notice the following:

 

It is hard to be anonymous with social media these days.

In the city, it is easy to be anonymous.

totally accepted

 

 

I was totally accepted.

 

When you are totally accepted, people support you within their group. Notice the following:

 

I feel totally accepted at my new job.

As a foreigner, I was never totally accepted.

1 gorgeous   

adj.华丽的，灿烂的，美丽的，宜人的，棒的

参考例句：

• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。
• What a gorgeous day it is today!今天天气多好啊！

2 stumble   

n.绊倒，失策；vi.绊倒，失策，踌躇，无意中发现；vt.绊倒，困惑

参考例句：

• Be grateful to those who have made you stumble,for they have strengthened your ability.感激绊倒你的人，因为他强化了你的能力。
• You never knew when you might stumble across some new talent.谁也说不准什么时候会碰上一位新的天才。

3 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

4 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

5 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

6 overlook   

v.忽视，忽略，俯瞰，眺望，宽容，宽恕

参考例句：

• How could you overlook paying the rent?你怎么会忘了付房租？
• It was a slight overlook on my part.这是我的一个小疏忽。

7 stumbled   

v.（不顺畅地）说( stumble的过去式和过去分词 )；跌跌撞撞地走；绊脚；（说话、演奏等）出错

参考例句：

• I stumbled and sprained my ankle. 我摔了一跤，把脚脖子扭了。
• The child stumbled and fell. 孩子绊了一下，摔倒了。

8 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？