【英语趣味课堂】去台湾旅游-Traveling to Taiwan

Hana: So Daniel, I heard you went on a vacation, where did you go?

 

Daniel: Yeah, I went to Taiwan.

 

Hana: Oh, sounds interesting. What did you do?

 

Daniel: Well, I did a lot of things. It's a really interesting place. I saw a lot of culture. I saw a lot of history. I went to beautiful places. They have like really, really beautiful nature. Everything was really, really good.

 

Hana: How was the food?

 

Daniel: Well, the food in Taiwan is amazing. You wouldn't believe how good it is. Everything tastes amazing. And the good thing about it, it's really, really cheap.

 

Hana: I see. Who did you go with?

 

Daniel: I went with a Taiwanese friend, so that was really good because I cannot speak Mandarin¹. And my friend helped me a lot with all the food, and that was really good because I really appreciated that.

 

Hana: How long did you go for?

 

Daniel: It was about eight days. And I think it was more than enough to get like a quick view of the whole island. It was really nice to go from Taipei in the north to some cities in the south. I think I got a really good impression of what Taiwan is.

 

Hana: Why did you go to Taiwan?

 

Daniel: Well I'm really interested in Asia and Asian cultures, and since it's really far from my background, I really want to get to know better all those cultures. And since for many western people are quite the same, I really want to find out those differences. And that's why I chose Taiwan.

 

Hana: I see.

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

a lot of

 

 

I saw a lot of culture. I saw a lot of history.

 

'A lot of' means² 'much' and is used instead of 'much' in positive sentences. Notice the following:

 

There is a lot of snow in winter.

I have a lot of free time today.

You wouldn't believe 

 

 

You wouldn't believe how good it is.

 

The phrase³ 'you wouldn't believe, you won't believe, and I can't believe' are common phrases⁴ to show something is surprising. Notice the following:

 

You wouldn't believe how beautiul Bali is.

You won't believe how little it costs.

I can't believe you didn't call me.

the good thing (about it / is)

 

 

Everything tastes amazing. And the good thing about it, it's really, really cheap.

 

We often use the phrase 'the good thing (is)' to express another unexpected⁵ benefit⁶. Notice the following:

 

I got a new job, and the good thing is I get to live near my girlfirend.

This dish is really easy to make, and the good thing about it is it is really healthy.

a lot

 

 

My friend helped me a lot with all the food

 

We use 'a lot' after a verb⁷ to show the action was done is large amounts. Notice the following:

 

He talks a lot.

She works⁸ a lot.

since

 

I liked the town, and since it was cheap, I stayed.

 

Since means 'because' in these sentences. Notice the following:

 

Since it is raining, let's stay inside.

Bob is late, but we should start dinner since the food is getting cold.

1 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

2 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

3 phrase   

n.短语，词组；成语，习语

参考例句：

• The phrase was caught on and immediately became popular.这个短语被采用后很快就流行了。
• That's exactly the phrase I was looking for.这就是我一直找的那个短语。

4 phrases   

n.短语( phrase的名词复数 )；成语；说法；乐句

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 unexpected   

adj.想不到的，意外的

参考例句：

• I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒，用来招待不速之客。
• His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。

6 benefit   

n.好处，益处，福利；vt.有益于，对…有益；vi.受益于

参考例句：

• The money is to be used for the benefit of the poor.这笔钱用来为穷人谋福利。
• He thought he would benefit from going to school.他认为上学对他有好处。

7 verb   

n.[语]动词

参考例句：

• The sentence is formed from a verb and two nouns.这句子由一个动词和两个名词构成。
• These are the finite forms of a verb.这些是一个动词的限定形式。

8 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。