Movie Script
MOLLY: So, this is New York! What’s it like to live here? #We often use /What’s it like..?/ to ask about places and things.
ANGELA: It’s very busy and exciting, and there’s a lot to see and do.
MOLLY: So, is it a cultural place? #/Culture/ includes music, art, theater, cinema and all kinds of entertainment.
ANGELA: Yes, there are some great theaters and art galleries. #In British English, ‘theater’ is spelled ‘theatre’.
MOLLY: And is the weather nice?
ANGELA: It is today, but it’s best in the fall. It can rain too much in the spring, and in summer it’s very hot. #In British English, ‘fall’ is called ‘autumn’.
MOLLY: Can you tell me why you like it here so much?
ANGELA: Well, I like living in such an international place with so many different people and so much history. And there are some beautiful parks and buildings. #An /international/ place contains people from many different cultures around the world.
MOLLY: When were these apartments built?
ANGELA: Around 200 years ago. Mine was built in the 1800s. #The ’1800s’ means the nineteenth century.
OLLY: Have you always lived on the same street? #This is an example of the present perfect tense.
ANGELA: No. Actually, I’ve lived in many places around the city. #Actually is used when we want to correct a mistake or supply some information that the other speaker doesn’t know.
MOLLY: What’s the best thing about living here?
ANGELA: That’s easy. It’s gotta be the food. There’s so much to choose from, and it’s all fantastic. Come on. Let me take you to lunch. #’Fantastic’ means the same as wonderful. It is a very high form of praise.
Topics
- describe your hometown
- pronounce two new sounds
- read about New York
- understand questions with ‘be’, ‘have’ and ‘can’
- use words for days, months and seasons
New vocabulary
| verbs | worship, adore, revitalize, fight, laugh |
| nouns | continent, Asia, Latin America, borough, census, population, coincidence, chess, immigrant, influx, neighborhood, temple, century;
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, Spring, Summer, Fall, Autumn, Winter; |
| adjectives | Albanian, Asian, Hindu, Hispanic, Mexican, Rastafarian, West Indian, Russian;
black, white, busy, cheap, expensive, clean, dirty, cold, cultural, derelict, friendly, historical, kind, oily, outer, inner, quiet, remote, safe, spicy, talkative, rainy, sunny; |
| expressions | Are there (any good restaurants)?
Can (I travel to work easily)? Have (you always lived here)? How much (is this)? Is (the weather nice)? What (is the time)? When (does the train arrive)? Where (is the cinema)? Whose (shoes are these)? |
- an amazing/strange coincidence
- It was pure coincidence that we both married dentists.
- a chess set
- an influx of customers #蜂拥而来的顾客
- I grew up in a very poor neighborhood.
- Are there any good restaurants in the neighbourhood (in this area)?
- a Buddhist temple
- Asian culture
- I’ve got plenty of jobs to keep you busy.
- You should try to keep the kitchen a bit cleaner.
- The nights are getting colder now.
- a derelict house, dirty dishes
- Jo’s very different from her sister, isn’t she?
- The house is different to how I expected it to be.
- a friendly face/smile
- The other students have been very friendly to us.
- Remove the outer layers of the onion.
- Simon’s apartment was built in the 19th century.
Learning
What is New York like? It’s busy and crowded.
What is the weather like? It’s really hot in the summer.
What are the people like? They’re international and very different.
What’s the food like? It’s fantastic!
The New New York
Author; Susan H. Greenberg
Excerpted from original article published August 6, 2001
It is no coincidence that New York has only grown larger, lovelier and livelier as its share of immigrants has increased. According to the latest Census figures, the population of New York City–consisting of the five boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island–has topped 8 million for the first time. And that is due largely to an influx of new immigrants, mainly from Asia and Latin America. Indeed, the 2000 Census data show that whites now make up 35 percent of the population (compared with 42 percent in 1990), Hispanics 27 percent (up from 25 percent), blacks 25 percent (down from 26 percent) and Asians 10 percent (up from 7 percent).
#A /Census/ is a count of every person living in a city or country.
#/Whites/, /blacks/ and /Hispanics/ are some of the different ethnic groups living in New York.The new immigrants are different. They are heading not for Manhattan, but for the more remote outer boroughs–chiefly Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx–where housing is cheaper, job opportunities abound and there are plenty of derelict neighborhoods ripe for re-vitalization.
#A /remote/ neighborhood is far away.
#A /derelict/ neighborhood has fallen into disrepair and been abandoned.Visiting the outer boroughs today is like taking a trip around the world. In Queens, Hindus worship at a temple with carved elephant heads. West Indians play cricket in the shadow of the globe left over from the 1964 World’s Fair. In the Bronx, Mexicans barbecue pork over open barrels in Pelham Park. Albanians gather in corner groceries to share job tips. And in Brooklyn, Rastafarians hold raucous drumming sessions in Prospect Park. Old Russian men play chess on the boardwalk at Brighton Beach.
#/Hindus/ are a religious group from India.
#Albanians come from Europe.
#Rastafarians are a religious group from the Caribbean.