【英语趣味课堂】关于音乐-About Music

Todd: OK. Matt, we're back. We're gonna talk about music. What is your favorite kind of music?

Matt: My favorite kind of music is alternative music. Generally, I like all types of music apart from country music.

 

Todd: I'm the same way. I hate country except for Johny Cash.

 

Matt: Yeah. The older country is good but the newer, I don't like the newer stuff¹.

 

Todd: Yeah. How expensive are CDs in your country?

 

Matt: Well, a brand new CD is probably between about 15 and 20 dollars. Yeah, but you can find used CDs from anything to a dollar to.. you know, 20 dollars I guess, depending on the CD. So you can find cheap CDs.

 

Todd: Wow, that's pretty cheap. Do you play a musical instrument?

 

Matt: No, I don't. Although, when I was a kid I played the piano and a little bit of the guitar but I've long since forgotten all of that.

 

Todd: Usually, you pick up the guitar and you don't 

stop playing it.

 

Matt: There was no talent.

 

Todd: Do you go to concerts?

 

Matt: I go. I really enjoy going to concerts but I like to go to small venues². Small shows. I don't like those big stadium shows where you need binoculars³ just to see the stage.

 

Todd: Yeah, I agree. And the last question, most importantly, do you sing in the shower?

 

Matt: Of course I do. Yeah, every chance I get.

 

Todd: Wow, what kind of songs do you sing?

 

Matt: Oh, wow! I guess anything that's in my head, the last thing I heard I guess.

 

Todd: Can you sing something right now?

 

Matt: I don't think so. This isn't a shower.

 

学习内容：

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

alternative music

My favorite kind of music is alternative music.

'Alternative music' first developed in the 1980s and became really popular in the 1990s.  It is independent music that comes from punk rock.  Notice the following:

 

She listens to nothing but alternative music.

He was in an alternative music band when he was twenty.

apart from

Generally, I like all music, apart from country music.

We use the phrase 'apart from' when we want to give an exception⁴ to a general statement that we have given.  Notice the following:

 

She doesn't like vegetables apart from broccoli⁵.

Do you eat any meat apart from chicken?

(anything) in my head

I sing just about anything in my head.

When we have a song 'in our head' we are singing it to ourselves inside of our mind.  Usually we say this when the song keeps repeating over and over again.  Notice the following:

 

I have this tune⁶ in my head and I don't know what it is.

Do you usually have a song in your head?

have long since forgotten

I used to play the piano, but I've long since forgotten that.

If we have 'long since forgotten' something it has been a long time since we have done it and now we can't remember how to do it.  Notice the following:

 

She has long since forgotten how to sew.

I have long since forgotten many childhood stories.

sing in the shower

I sing in the shower every chance I get.

When you 'sing in the shower' you literally⁷ sing a tune while you are taking a shower.  Many people do this because the voice usually sounds better in a small place like a shower.  Notice the following:

 

I was really embarrassed that I sang in the shower when you were here.

My roommate always sings in the shower.

 

 

1 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

2 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

3 binoculars   

n.双筒望远镜

参考例句：

• He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
• If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜，我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。

4 exception   

n.例外,除外

参考例句：

• Everyone should keep discipline and you are no exception. 每个人都应该遵守纪律,你也毫无例外。
• There's an exception to every rule. 每项规则均有例外。

5 broccoli   

n.绿菜花，花椰菜

参考例句：

• She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.这些花椰菜都是她用种子培育出来的。
• They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white.他们认为西兰花只有绿色的，而菜花都是白色的。

6 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

7 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。