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2011年ESL之餐饮娱乐 16 Writing a Story

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16 Writing a Story

GLOSSARY1

novel – a book-length story; a long story created by a writer and not based onreal people or events

* Joan likes to read novels in her free time, while her sister prefers readingnewspapers and newsmagazines.

to abandon – to give up completely; to not continue doing something before it iscompleted

* After working several weeks on repairing his old car, Jamil decided2 to abandonit and to buy another car.

to bite off more than (one) can chew – to try to do something that one is notcapable of doing; to try to do too much

* Candace felt that she had bit off more than she can chew when shevolunteered to organize a dinner for 50 people.

character – a person in a novel, play, or movie

* My favorite character in the movie Star Wars is Hans Solo3.

character development – the way that a person in a novel, play, or moviechanges over time or throughout the course of a story

* The character development of the hero in this series of films shows that he is acomplex person.

plot – the main events in a novel, play, or movie; the main storyline in a novel,play, or movie

* Are you able to follow the plot of this novel? I find it very confusing.

adventure – a novel or movie with exciting and dangerous activities orexperiences

* Kalih’s favorite childhood adventure stories are about a ship captain who travelsaround the world.

romance4 – a novel or a movie dealing5 with themes related to love

* In romance stories, the hero always gets the girl in the end.

horror – a novel or movie with frightening events or stories

* Some of the scariest horror films don’t show too much blood and killing6, butrelies on the audience’s imagination.

setting – the time period or environment in which a situation occurs; the locationand/or time period that a story takes place

* The setting for this story is present-day Chicago.

up in the air – undecided; not yet determined7; with the ending, conclusion, ordecision not yet clear

* Whether the childcare program will continue next year is up in the air becauseof a lack of money.

period – belonging to a past time period; being from a historical time period

* Why do so many period films set in England win major film awards?

point of view – the view or perspective from which a story is told or events areexplained

* From the customer’s point of view, this website is very difficult to use.

first person – for a story to be told from one of the people in the story

* The police wanted a first person account of what happened in the accident.

third person – for a story to be told from the storyteller’s perspective

* A complicated story can more easily be told in the third person.

to have (one’s) work cut out for (one) – to be required to complete a task thatis difficult; to be faced with a task that is at or above one’s level of ability

*Daisuke has his work cut out of him, raising three young children by himself.

inspiration8 – something that stimulates9 one’s mind to do or to feel something;something that gives one ideas for a creative task

* The recent snowstorm was the inspiration for Lyle’s new painting.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What is Sara writing?

a) A novel.

b) A play.

c) A short story.

2. Why does Xavier say to Sarah: “You’ve definitely got your work cut out foryou?”

a) He believes she has a difficult task to do.

b) He wants her to stop what she is doing.

c) He thinks she should write a novel.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

character

The phrase “character,” in this podcast, means a person in a novel, play, ormovie: “There are too many characters in the movie for me to follow.” The word“character” can also refer to the qualities of a person or a place: “This city is verybig, but it has the character of a small town.” When talking about computers orother electronics10, a “character” is used to refer to a symbol representing a letteror a number: “Move your cursor to the character that looks like a house and it willtake you to the company’s homepage.” To be “in or out of one’s character” refersto whether behavior is consistent11 with one’s usual behavior: “It isn’t out ofcharacter for Michael to leave his home for weeks without telling anyone.”

period

In this podcast, the term “period” refers to something belonging to a pasthistorical time: “This store has a lot of period furniture from the 1700s and1800s.” A “period” is more often used to mean a length of time: “The economy inthe southern United States was very poor in the period after the Civil War.” A“period” is also the name of the punctuation12 mark at the end of a sentence or anabbreviation: “Instead of a period, let’s put an exclamation13 point at the end of thisline in the dialogue.” Or, “There should be periods after the initials14 in his name,like this: J.R.” Finally, people often use the word “period” for emphasis at the endof a statement, usually indicating that one’s opinion will not change: “Dad saidthere was no way he would allow us to go to the dance. Period.”

CULTURE NOTE

The Use of the Second-Person Point of View in WritingWhether you read novels or newspapers, most of the written materials we read“on a daily basis” (every day) is written in the first person or third person. InAmerican schools, students are usually taught to write “expository” (somethingthat explains or describes something) reports and “narratives” (stories). Seldomare students required to learn to write in the second person, although it hasseveral important uses.

The second-person point of view is a way of telling a story or giving informationwith you, the reader, as the main character. To do this, the writer uses thesecond-person personal pronoun “you.” Here is an example: “You are not thetype of person who likes ice cream, but here you are eating three different kindsand enjoying it.” The second-person point of view is sometimes used to makethe reader more involved in the story or explanation.

For example, many “guidebooks” are written in the second person. Guidebooksgive people information as they travel to a new place, giving information about“sites” (places to visit), transportation, and restaurants, and providing useful “tips”

(advice). By using “you,” the guidebook puts the traveler “in the middle of theaction” (where the activity is taking place). Many “do-it-yourself manuals” (booksgiving you information about how to do something, such as fixing something inyour home) also use the second person point of view, most likely for the samereason.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT15

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 743: Writing aStory.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode16 743. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Write it down, go there, and download a LearningGuide for this episode. You can also join us now on Facebook atfacebook.com/eslpod.

This episode is a dialogue between Xavier and Sara; it’s called “Writing a Story.”

Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Xavier: How’s your novel coming along?

Sara: It’s not. I abandoned it for now. I think I bit off more than I can chew.

Now, I’m working on a short story.

Xavier: That sounds interesting. Who are the main characters?

Sara: I’m not sure yet. Character development is really important so I need togive the characters themselves some serious thought.

Xavier: Okay, tell me about the general plot. Is it an adventure, romance, horrorstory – what?

Sara: I haven’t decided that either.

Xavier: All right. What about the setting? Is it going to be set in the U.S.?

Sara: Hmm, that’s still up in the air, too. I’m thinking of writing a period story, butI’m not sure what time period to choose. That’ll help decide the actual setting.

Xavier: I’m guessing you haven’t decided the point of view of the story either,whether it’ll be told in the first person or third person, am I right?

Sara: You are. I know. I have a lot to think about.

Xavier: You’ve definitely got your work cut out for you.

Sara: I know. I’m just waiting for some inspiration.

Xavier: Good luck with that.

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Xavier saying to Sara, “How’s your novel comingalong?” A “novel” is a long, fictional17 story, a story that is not true. “To be comingalong” means to be progressing. So, Xavier is asking Sara how her novel isprogressing. Is it getting finished? Sara says, “It’s not (it’s not coming along). Iabandoned it for now.” “To abandon” (abandon) means to give up on somethingcompletely. Well, Sara has not given up on it completely, that’s why she says, “Iabandoned it for now,” meaning maybe in the future she’ll come back to it. Shesays, “I think I bit off more than I can chew.” This is a common expression: “tobite off more than you can chew.” “To bite” means to use your teeth to removeusually a piece of food. For example, if you are eating chicken and you areholding the piece of chicken by your two hands, you might bite off a piece. Thedifference between “to bite” and “to bite off” has to do with separating the piecewith your mouth; you remove it completely from where it was. You could bitesomething; you could bite your finger, but you wouldn’t be removing it from yourhand – well, unless you bit it very strongly. The expression here in the dialoguehowever is “I bit (bit) off.” “Bit” is the irregular past tense for “bite.” So, “I bit offmore than I can chew.” “To chew” is to use your teeth to break down food intosmaller pieces so you can swallow it. “To bite off more than you can chew,”

however, as an expression, means to try to do something that you are notcompletely able to do or even capable of doing. Sara says, “Now, I’m working ona short story,” which is also a work of fiction; a story, but not a long one that youwould publish as a book.

Xavier says, “That sounds interesting. Who are the main characters?” A“character” in a novel is one of the people in the novel. Sara says, “I’m not sureyet. Character development is really important so I need to give the charactersthemselves some serious thought.” “Character development” is the way that aperson in a novel, a play, a movie changes over time in the story itself. Sarasays she’s going to give this “some serious thought” meaning she’s going to thinkabout it seriously for a long time. Xavier says, “Okay, tell me about the generalplot.” A “plot” (plot) is the main events in a novel, play, or movie; we might call itthe main storyline. First this happens, then this happens, then this happens.

Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl get married. That’s the basicplot for a lot of romantic movies and books.

Xavier wants to know about the general plot of Sara’s book, so he gives hersome examples, some kinds of books, what we would call some “genres”:

adventure, romance, horror story. He asks which of these his friend’s story is.

Well, an “adventure story” is a story that is exciting; there are many usuallydangerous activities or experiences in the story. You can think of a movie likeIndiana Jones, the series of movies, those were adventure movies. “Romance”

is boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl get married; that’s thegeneral idea of a romance story usually. “Horror story” (horror) is a novel or amovie that has something scary or frightening. The Silence of the Lambs waskind of a horror movie. Usually, horror movies have a lot of blood nowadays,movies with people who get their heads cut off, and that sort of thing. I don’treally like horror stories. I like adventures. Romance, eh, not so much.

Sara says, “I haven’t decided that either,” meaning she doesn’t know what kind ofstory she’s going to write. Xavier says, “All right. What about the setting? Is itgoing to be set in the U.S.?” The “setting” of a story has to do with the time andthe place where the story takes place, the location and the period of time. Is it inthe 1980s in England? Is it in Scotland in the 1400s? What’s the setting? Thequestion that Xavier asks is “Is it going to be set in the U.S.?” meaning is it goingto take place in the United States.

Sara says, “Um, that’s still up in the air, too.” When we say something is “up inthe air” we mean it’s undecided, we’re not sure yet, we haven’t determined thatyet. Someone may say, “Our plans are up the air, we don’t know what we’regoing to be doing tomorrow.” Perhaps we’ll be in a beautiful balloon! Saradoesn’t know what her setting is going to be. She says, “I’m thinking of writing aperiod story, but I’m not sure what time period to choose.” A “period story” is astory that takes place at some time in the past; it’s not a story about what’shappening today. It might be about England in the 19th century or Rome at thetime of Julius Caesar; those would be period stories, or period pieces they mightbe called.

Sara isn’t sure what period she’s going to write in. She says, “That will helpdecide the actual setting.” Xavier says, “I’m guessing you haven’t decided thepoint of view of the story either, whether it’ll be told in the first person or thirdperson, am I right?” The “point of view” is the view or perspective from which astory can be told. Usually a story is told either in the first person, meaning youread the story from someone’s viewpoint; they say “I.” “I walked into a room andI saw a beautiful woman and I said, ‘Can I have your phone number?’ and she said, ‘No. Get out of here. You’re ugly!’” That would be a first person story.

That’s kind of what my romance story would probably be! A third person story isthe story being told not by one of the characters in the book, but, if you will, bysome person outside of the book. “He walked into the room, he saw a beautifulwoman. He said, ‘Hey baby. How ya doing?’” That would be a third personstory. That would never happen to me! So, first person is “I,” a character istelling the story from their own perspective – their own point of view. Thirdperson is someone else’s point of view. The story that Sara is writing is stillundetermined in terms of its point of view. She says, “You are,” you are right, Idon’t know. “I know I have a lot to think about,” she says.

Xavier says, “You definitely got your work cut out for you.” “To have your workcut out for you” means to be required to complete something that is going to bevery difficult; you have a very difficult task, a very difficult problem to solve. Sarasays, “I know. I’m just waiting for some inspiration.” “Inspiration” is somethingthat occurs to you that stimulates your mind to do or to feel something. When wetalk about creative people – artists, writers, painters – sometimes they’ll talkabout their inspiration. A man may paint a picture of a beautiful woman; he wasinspired by some woman in his life perhaps. Sara is waiting for some inspiration.

Xavier says, “Good luck with that.” That’s kind of a comical expressionnowadays. When someone says, “Oh, good luck with that,” they mean youprobably won’t be able to do that, or I doubt you will be able to do that.

Now let’s listen to the story, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Xavier: How’s your novel coming along?

Sara: It’s not. I abandoned it for now. I think I bit off more than I can chew.

Now, I’m working on a short story.

Xavier: That sounds interesting. Who are the main characters?

Sara: I’m not sure yet. Character development is really important so I need togive the characters themselves some serious thought.

Xavier: Okay, tell me about the general plot. Is it an adventure, romance, horrorstory – what?

Sara: I haven’t decided that either.

Xavier: All right. What about the setting? Is it going to be set in the U.S.?

Sara: Hmm, that’s still up in the air, too. I’m thinking of writing a period story, butI’m not sure what time period to choose. That’ll help decide the actual setting.

Xavier: I’m guessing you haven’t decided the point of view of the story either,whether it’ll be told in the first person or third person, am I right?

Sara: You are. I know. I have a lot to think about.

Xavier: You definitely got your work cut out for you.

Sara: I know. I’m just waiting for some inspiration.

Xavier: Good luck with that.

[end of dialogue]

Scriptwriters write stories, and our scriptwriter has written some wonderful storieswith funny and interesting plots, some of them romance, some of themadventure, not a lot of them horror, thank goodness. Thank you, Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2011 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 glossary of7xy     
n.注释词表;术语汇编
参考例句:
  • The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
  • For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便,我们在附录中也提供了术语表。
2 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
3 solo ywpw8     
n.独奏,独唱;adj.单独的;adv.单独地;v.放单飞,单独表演
参考例句:
  • Tara is currently working on a solo album.塔拉眼下正忙着制作个人专辑。
  • There's wonderfully lyrical flute solo in the middle of this symphony.在交响乐中间有一段奇妙的抒情长笛独奏。
4 romance KXGx1     
n.恋爱关系,浪漫气氛,爱情小说,传奇
参考例句:
  • She wrote a romance about an artist's life in Tokyo.她写了一个关于一位艺术家在东京生活的浪漫故事。
  • They tried to rekindle the flames of romance.他们试图重燃爱火。
5 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
6 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
7 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
8 inspiration SbLzL     
n.灵感,鼓励者,吸气
参考例句:
  • These events provided the inspiration for his first novel.这些事件给了他创作第一部小说的灵感。
  • What an inspiration she was to all around her!她对于她周围所有的人是一种多么大的鼓舞!
9 stimulates 7384b1562fa5973e17b0984305c09f3e     
v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 );激励;使兴奋;起兴奋作用,起刺激作用,起促进作用
参考例句:
  • Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
10 electronics 5q0xB     
n.电子器件,电子学,电子技术
参考例句:
  • About 45000 people worked in electronics in Scotland.苏格兰约有4.5万人在电子行业工作。
  • He wants to brush up his knowledge of electronics.他想温习他的电子学知识。
11 consistent hYwyU     
adj.坚持的,一贯的,一致的,符合的
参考例句:
  • He has been a consistent friend to the Chinese people.他是中国人民始终如一的朋友。
  • His action is always consistent with his words.他始终言行一致。
12 punctuation 3Sbxk     
n.标点符号,标点法
参考例句:
  • My son's punctuation is terrible.我儿子的标点符号很糟糕。
  • A piece of writing without any punctuation is difficult to understand.一篇没有任何标点符号的文章是很难懂的。
13 exclamation onBxZ     
n.感叹号,惊呼,惊叹词
参考例句:
  • He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
  • The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号,以引起读者的注意。
14 initials qquzAi     
n.首字母,姓名
参考例句:
  • a glass tankard with his initials etched on it 刻有他姓名首字母的玻璃大酒杯
  • All the towels were personalized with their initials. 所有毛巾上都标有物主姓名的首字母。
15 transcript JgpzUp     
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。
16 episode Titzy     
n.(作品的一段)情节,插曲,系列事件中之一
参考例句:
  • The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
  • This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。
17 fictional ckEx0     
adj.小说的,虚构的
参考例句:
  • The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
  • The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。
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