BBC Learning English6 Minute English
Couch surfing
NB: This is not an accurate word-for-word transcript6 Minute English ?
Kate: Hello, I’m Kate Colin and this is 6 Minute English. Today I'm joined byRebecca Byrne and we're discussing couch surfing（冲浪）. Have you heard of thisbefore Rebecca?
Jackie: Hi Kate, well no….I'm afraid I've never heard of couch surfing but let me tryto work it out…..A couch is another word for a sofa or long soft seat on whichmore than one person can sit, and surfing (when not used in the sporting sense)can mean the act of visiting lots of different places. For example surfing theweb is when you visit lots of different websites. So, I assume couch surfinghas something to do with visiting lots of different people's couches or sofas….?
Kate: Good guess work! Couch surfing is a relatively new term used to describe aninternet-based hospitality (好客)service - the practice of either offering your sofa to astranger to sleep on or staying with someone you've never met before. Thisaccommodation system has become a world wide success in the last two orthree years providing people all over the world with a couch or a floor to sleepon absolutely free.
Rebecca: Well, it sounds like a great idea and is certainly a cheap way of findingaccommodation in a strange country, but it doesn't sound very luxurious to me!
I think I'd rather have a bed in a hotel than somebody's sofa ….but I can seethere must be some benefits….
Kate: And we'll be finding out about them later in the programme, but before we goany further, here's my question for this week. Which city is currently the mostpopular destination for couch surfing. Is is:
a) Londonb) New Yorkc) ParisRebecca: AnswersKate: We'll check you answer at the end of the programme. But first, let's find outa bit more about how couch surfing works. There are various websiteswhich contain databases of people willing to offer their couch to strangers tosleep on. So if you are looking for somewhere to stay, you simply look upthe area where you're going and see if there is anyone there willing to give you a bed or couch and then you contact them.
Rebecca: But why would someone let people come and stay with them – people whothey've never even met before?!!
Kate: Well, hopefully we're going to find out. We're going to hear from ajournalist called Fleur Britain was so interested in the system of couchsurfing that she decided to use to during a ten week journey across Russia,China, Kazackstan and Mongolia only staying with people who offered hera couch. In the following extract she uses the word motives. What does thismean Rebecca?
Rebecca: Well, a motive is a reason for doing something.
Kate: And worldly views?
Rebecca: Well, this means the experiences of people who have travelled a lot or hadexperience of many different places.
Kate: Let's listen. Can you hear the reasons or motives why people are willing tooffer their houses (or couches) to strangers for free and volunteer to be hosts?
Hosts are what we call people who have guests in their house, for eg. if youcame to stay in my house for a night or two, I would be your host.
Extract 1Actually you'll find that lots of hosts have many motives, maybe they want to practise theirEnglish, maybe they live in a country where it's difficult for them to get a visa, or actually toafford to travel. Sometimes people want their children to experience the worldly views oftravellers. Some people are just instinctive（本能） hosts and they just love having people in theirhouse.
Rebecca: She said that people have a range of motives. That maybe they want topractise their English, that maybe they want their children to experience theworldly views of travellers. Or maybe they just like having people in theirhouses. She called them 'instinctive hosts' which means they don’t haveany other reason for wanting people to stay with them other than justenjoying the experience.
Kate: So we've heard about why people might want to offer their house to strangers, but what are the benefits（好处、利益） to the people who are sleeping on thecouches – the travellers? We’re going to hear the word 'compelling'. Whatdoes this mean?
Rebecca: Compelling is used to describe something which is very exciting orinteresting and it makes you want to do it.
Kate: And 'inside track'?
Rebecca: Inside track means getting access to something which only certain peoplehave. So if I had an inside track on something, I would have a specialposition or relationship with a person that gives you advantages that otherpeople do not have.
Kate: Let's listen. What unique experiences did she have through couch surfing?
Extract 2There are so many compelling things to the idea of couch surfing in that you get amazingaccess to the inside story. So we would start off by looking at our guidebooks, you know,instead we got the inside track, and were taken to things that weren't in the guidebook,taken to their friend's houses, went to house parties….
Rebecca: She said she was taken to friend's houses and parties. You can really seewhy you can get the 'inside track' to a country and how couch surfing canhelp you to meet people to see the real side of a country rather than just being a tourist.
Kate: So would you ever like to try couch surfing?
Rebecca: answersKate: And finally to the question I asked you earlier…..Which city is currently themost popular for couch surfing?
The answer is in fact Paris with 22,000 surfers visiting the city.
Kate: That's all we have time for. Until next week. Goodbye.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑) |