摩托车 (2)
Motorbike (2)
RUTH: Hello, welcome to another programme in the series 'Say It Again'. My
name is Ruth Lowton. Each programme, with the help of a student, I am looking
at different aspects of the English language. Today I'm continuing looking at
descriptions. Over the last few programmes, we've been looking at sentences and
phrases we use when describing objects, people, clothing or as in our last
programme.
Conversation
RUTH: We were looking at Jim's new bike. Today there will be another chance to
hear Jim's excitement as he showed his sister Grace, his new bike. As in all the
previous 'Say It Again' programmes, I have a student here with me. This week
Aries is back. She is from Singapore, studying here in England. Hello Aries.
ARIES: Hello Ruth. When I was a little girl, my parents told me some animal
stories. They were called Aesop's Fables. Do you know any of these stories?
RUTH: Yes I do. They are stories that are not true. They do have a meaning
though. One of my favorites was the fable of 'The Tortoise and the Hare.' This
story is about a very boastful hare. The hare is an animal very much like a rabbit.
A tortoise is very slow, the exact opposite to the hare. They decided to have a race.
The hare very proudly claimed he would win. But what happened was the hare
went to sleep and while he was asleep, the tortoise completed the race and won. I
like the point that this story makes. 'Slow and steady wins the race.'
RUTH: Jim's bike definitely wasn't slow. In our drama, Grace is very concerned
that the bike's brakes will work. Listen to this drama. There are some new words.
Listen out for the words - 'fairing', 'pillion passenger' and 'streamlined'.
Conversation
RUTH: Aries, did you hear those words - 'fairing', 'pillion passenger' and
'streamlined'?
ARIES: Yes Ruth I did. Jim said that the fairing protects the rider from the wind.
So it must be at the front of the bike. He also said that the headlights were built
into it.
RUTH: That's right. What did you understand about the words 'pillion passenger'?
ARIES: Jim explained that a pillion passenger was someone who sat behind the
driver. A pillion must be the rear seat behind the driver.
RUTH: What about the word 'streamlined'?
ARIES: It means smooth. Saying that the bike is streamlined means that the air
would flow over it smoother, allowing the bike to go faster. Rather different to
your story of the tortoise and the hare.
RUTH: Yes Aries. Here in England, many people die each year from motorbike
accidents. Young men in particular, buy powerful bikes and they ride them very
fast, sometimes without adequate safety clothing. Sometimes they drive so fast that
they can't control the bike, and they not only kill themselves but often their
passenger as well. That fable of the hare and tortoise can also teach about being
too proud. Remember the hare said that he could win the race. He was so proud
he felt he could sleep and not worry about the tortoise. We all need to be careful
of proud behavior.
RUTH: In our true story today, Richard Hussey from Malaysia found that he
couldn't stop himself from drinking too much alcohol. He found that he couldn't
keep a job, and soon he was living in a dirty room alone, because his wife had left
him some time earlier. Listen to how his life was changed when he met the living
God. His story is being read by Toby.
Story Testimony
I was dying, and my name had been put on the hospital danger list. People were
saying "Richard Hussey won't live much longer. He won't survive; he had too
much strong drink." Unfortunately, this was true - I couldn't stop myself from
drinking. I had earned a lot of money working in Bahrain, Malaysia, Singapore
and Hong Kong. I changed jobs often because of my drinking problem. It got so
bad that my wife left me. I lost my job and couldn't find work anywhere else.
Soon I was living in one small, dirty room on my own. Although I was suffering a
great amount of pain, I still drank more and more of the strong drink.
So I was in hospital again, and thinking to myself "I know I shall die this time."
By now, my wife had changed. She had become much happier as she received
God's Holy Spirit into her life. She heard about me being in the hospital, and she
asked her friends at the church, "Please ask God to save Richard's life. Ask for
God's Holy Spirit to help Richard, so that he doesn't need the strong drink any
more."
God heard their prayers, for I walked out of hospital a changed man. It happened
in this way: During my stay in hospital, I went to a Christian meeting. There I
heard that God would help me if I handed my problem over to him through prayer.
This way, my life would change. So I asked God for help with my drinking problem
and found that suddenly I could say 'no' to strong drink. I didn't need it. If I had
not had God's Holy Spirit to guide and help me, I never would have lived. Now I
am working again. I thank God for the difference that he made in my life.
RUTH: Aries and I will repeat the new words describing a motorbike that we
looked at earlier today. They were fairing, pillion passenger and streamlined.
Aries, please make up some sentences explaining the word 'fairing'.
ARIES: The fairing is part of a bike. It protects the rider from the wind. It is at
the front of the bike and contains the headlights.
RUTH: Good! Now can you make up some sentences describing what a pillion
passenger is?
ARIES: The pillion passenger sits behind the driver. It takes a brave person to ride
pillion!
RUTH: I agree with you entirely. Now how about 'streamlined'?
ARIES: The bike was very streamlined. It went very fast.
RUTH: Well Aries, do you think you are now an expert biker?
ARIES: No Ruth, I'm not! I think I will continue to ride on my pedal bike. It is a
lot safer even if it's not as fast.
RUTH: That is almost all from this 'Say It Again' programme. I think Aries and I
are now a lot more informed about motorbikes. And if I did want to be a
passenger on a bike, I would ride as a pillion passenger. That's all from 'Say It
Again' today. Until our next programme, goodbye from Aries and me.
BOTH: Goodbye.