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The Everlasting Storm 卡塔通博「永恆風暴」(上)
空中英語教室 20241030
卡塔通博閃電（西班牙語：Relámpago del Catatumbo）是一種發生在委內瑞拉的特殊大氣現象，指的是在卡塔通博河注入馬拉開波湖處周圍的一小塊沼澤地區頻繁發生閃電的現象。這一地區的閃電通常擁有長達5公里的電弧，每年中有140至160個晚上都會發生閃電，每個小時更可高達280次。這一小塊地區也因為這些頻繁強勁的閃電而被認為是世界上最大的對流層臭氧產生地。
閃電的閃光頻率一年四季都在變化，而且每年都有所不同。 例如，它從2010年1月到3月停止了，顯然是由於乾旱，導致人們猜測它可能已經永久熄滅。
修正英文文法，保留中文部分，同時將簡體中文修改為繁體中文
Sure! Here’s the revised text with the corrections and the change from simplified to traditional Chinese:
Welcome back to Studio Classroom!
Today is a great day to learn something new. It certainly is!
So let’s do that together, friends.
My name is Anne Marie,
and I’m John. Have you ever been in a huge, terrifying storm, Anne Marie?
I have! I’ve been in a lot of big storms before.
When I was growing up in Ohio,
we had a lot of thunderstorms and tornadoes.
And since moving to Asia,
I’ve definitely experienced a lot of typhoons.
That’s right! One of the scariest kinds of storms, though, is a storm that has lightning.
And we’ll learn more about this storm, the everlasting storm, today.
Let’s do that together!
The Everlasting Storm: A Natural Phenomenon of Epic Proportions
Imagine watching lightning crack
the night sky more than 28 times per minute.
It graces the rugged landscape with its bright glow,
almost like a scene in a science fiction movie.
Believe it or not, you can witness this scene
right here on Earth in the skies above northern Venezuela.
Hi everyone, welcome to Language Lab!
I’m Jack. 首先來看crack這個動詞，
意思是使裂開。來看幾個例句：
The baker carefully cracked the egg into the bowl
and mixed it together with some sugar.
面包師傅小心地把雞蛋打到碗裡，
再和糖混合在一起。
或是，The old chair started to crack
as the heavy man sat down on it.
這位魁梧的男人坐下來時，
那把舊椅子開始裂開。
Crack也可以當名詞，
意思是爆裂聲。譬如，The crack of thunder in the middle of the night
woke everyone up.
夜裡的雷聲把大家都吵醒了。
接下來看看grace這個字，
通常是當作名詞，
意思是恩典、優美，
但是在這裡呢，是當動詞，
意思是使優美或是為了增色。
例如，The Queen graced the charity event with her presence.
女王的出席為慈善活動增添了光彩。
或是，The artist graced her landscape painting
with a beautiful butterfly.
這位藝術家用一隻美麗的蝴蝶
為她的風景畫錦上添花。
或是，The farmer graced the old barn with a new coat of paint,
giving it a fresh look.
這位農夫為這個谷倉塗上一層新油漆，
使它看起來焕然一新。
Okay, the everlasting storm—this is an exciting article!
But what does "everlasting" mean?
Well, "everlasting" means that it keeps going on
and never stops. A storm that never stops—
this is going to be an interesting article!
But we read here right away
that this is a natural phenomenon of epic proportions.
What does it mean if something is of epic proportions, John?
Well, if something is of epic proportions,
it means that it’s extremely large or powerful
in its scope or in just the size that it is.
Yeah, for example, the flood we had last year was a disaster of epic proportions.
And we will quickly learn
why this storm is a phenomenon of epic proportions.
By the way, a phenomenon is a word that
we use to mean something that happens naturally.
We talk about a natural phenomenon,
which is something like a storm—
something that will naturally happen
and is not man-made.
Well, let’s jump in together and talk about lightning.
Imagine watching lightning crack
the night sky more than 28 times per minute. Wow!
28 times per minute?
That’s almost once every two seconds!
I think that’s right—wow, that’s a lot!
That is a lot of lightning.
We see here it graces the rugged landscape with its bright glow,
almost like a scene in a science fiction movie.
Now we see that word "rugged" there, friends,
and we want to talk about it for a minute.
If something is rugged,
it means it has a broken, rocky, uneven surface.
That’s right! You could say, "Wow,
those mountains look rugged;
I do not want to climb them!"
Sometimes we describe people who are really outdoorsy as rugged—
like they look kind of rough,
like they could be outside.
And we read about this science fiction movie—
that’s a genre of movie that you might know.
It’s about technology and future events.
But what do we read on here, Anne Marie?
Well, we see, "Believe it or not, you can witness this scene right here on Earth."
Let’s take a look at that phrase "believe it or not" before we move on.
We’ve seen that before.
"Believe it or not" prefaces or goes before something that
may be hard to believe.
You could say, "Believe it or not, I’m 105 years old!"
Oh, I don’t believe that!
But here’s another example:
"Believe it or not, you can improve your health by getting more sleep."
But we see another great phrase right here, friends:
"You can witness this."
Let’s talk about that.
Okay, to witness means to see something with your own eyes.
You are a witness
if you are the person who has seen or witnessed something,
and you can see this right here on Earth.
Okay, other planets sometimes do have a lot of lightning storms on them,
and I think that’s what David is talking about—our author.
That’s right! So you can witness this scene right here on Earth.
Where can you see this?
In the skies above northern Venezuela.
So you need to travel to Venezuela
if you want to see this amazing phenomenon.
Did you know, Anne Marie,
that my parents almost took us to Venezuela?
Really? To move there or to visit?
To move there!
And actually, we ended up going to North Africa,
which was also pretty crazy,
so I’ve never seen this storm.
Well, let’s learn more about it together right now!
The Everlasting Storm
This seasonal lightning storm, known
as the Beacon of Maracaibo by sailors
or the Katatumbo Lightning by locals,
is centered around the mouth of the Katatumbo River.
With more than 200 lightning strikes
per square kilometer,
this area has the highest concentration of them anywhere
in the world. In the past,
the 13,280 square kilometer Lake Maracaibo,
one of the largest inland bodies of water in South America,
served as a vital route for ships whenever
lightning flashed across the night sky.
It acted as a guiding beacon for sailors,
earning it an important place in exploration history.
我們再來看"concentration"這個名詞，
意思是專心或聚集。
例如，The musician needed complete concentration to perform
the difficult violin solo.
這位音樂家需要全神貫注
來演奏這段難度很高的小提琴獨奏。
"Concentration"也有濃度、含量的意思，
譬如，The high concentration of salt in seawater
makes it difficult for freshwater fish to survive in the ocean.
海水中的鹽濃度很高，
使淡水魚難以在海洋中生存。
或是，Scientists are studying the concentration of pollution
in major cities
to understand how it affects people.
科學家們正在研究主要城市中的污染濃度
以了解它對人們的影響。
Okay, what are we talking about here with this everlasting storm?
Well, it is given a name!
This seasonal lightning storm,
known as the Beacon of Maracaibo by sailors
or the Katatumbo Lightning by locals,
is centered around the mouth of the Katatumbo River.
So we’re given a name,
and we learn a little bit more about where this lightning happens.
That name, the Beacon of Maracaibo—what’s a beacon?
Well, a beacon is a fire or a light set up in a high
or prominent position
so that means where everyone can see it
as a warning signal or as some type of celebration.
So when people are seeing this,
they probably gave it this name
because it seems like some kind of warning
or some kind of celebration.
Okay, you could say, "The fireworks were a beacon
that the celebration had begun in the town."
And then we also have this phrase
that’s very useful: "to be centered around something."
So for geography, that means to have something in the middle.
You could say, "The forest was centered around a tall mountain."
That’s right! We could also use "centered around"
to talk about one specific topic.
So, for example,
his paper is centered around one species of mammal.
That means his paper is all about just that one animal.
But we read on here: with more than 200 lightning strikes
per square kilometer,
this area has the highest concentration of them
anywhere in the world.
Ooh!
That doesn’t sound like a place
where I would want to be standing. A square kilometer
is not that big.
I’m curious, though, John. Are you afraid of thunderstorms?
No, not usually. But okay,
I don’t want to be hit by lightning—that’s true.
And we learned this phrase: a lightning strike. That’s a noun.
We talk about a lightning strike
as lightning hitting the ground,
and this is the name for that event.
You don’t want to be hit by lightning. Now,
lightning can strike in the verb form
other things besides the ground as well.
So you could say, for example,
a lightning rod on top of the building.
A lightning strike could hit the lightning rod as well.
That’s right! It’s to protect people.
But what happens if you’re on this lake? Well,
we read: in the past, the 13,280 square kilometer Lake Maracaibo,
one of the largest inland
bodies of water in South America,
served as a vital route for ships. So "inland"
means it’s not out on the ocean exactly.
If something is inland,
it means it is situated in the interior of a country
rather than on the coast.
I see, so it’s in the country.
That’s a good term if you’re studying geography.
And it’s a vital route, so ships
used to have to go through there.
But now what happens? Well,
in the past, whenever lightning flashed across the night sky,
it acted as a guiding beacon for sailors, earning
it an important place in exploration history.
There’s that word "beacon."
Lightning flashing
is a really important way to describe that action.
Though, that’s right!
If the lightning flashes,
it means that you see the light for just a second
or just a few seconds,
but then that brightness goes away a moment later.
We say that something flashes
when it just appears for a very quick moment.
It acted as a guiding beacon for sailors, earning
it an important place in exploration history. Well,
if something has earned a place
somewhere, what does that mean?
That means it has gained this reputation in history
or in something else.
So sometimes you can also use this for a sports team.
You could say he earned his place on the sports team
by competing really hard.
Yeah, that’s very similar to the example that I thought of as well.
After scoring
many goals during tryouts, she earned a place on a team.
So you could earn a place in history;
you could earn a place on a team.
That’s right! Well,
we’ll learn more about why this event earned a place in history
and what makes it so very dangerous to people in this area.
But now it’s time for our Info Cloud!
Hello everybody, welcome to Info Cloud!
Man, I have been busy lately. How about you, Garrett?
Mmm, not so much. However,
I do feel like it’s just the calm before the storm.
What do you mean?
Well,
there are a lot of holidays and activities coming up,
and soon I will need to start preparing for them.
I will be very busy about a month from now. Ah,
so you are referring to a busy time of life as a storm.
That’s right!
When we are talking about weather phenomena,
we often see that it might be quiet or still before a big storm.
There is a scientific reason
for that.
The storm has pulled all the wind and rain into its system,
and this is also a good
picture for what happens in life.
We have busy times and calm times,
and we can often see what is coming ahead in our schedule.
So we talk about a time with fewer responsibilities,
maybe before an event
or in between big projects, as the calm before the storm.
We know not to get too comfortable
because that storm is still coming,
but we can relax for a short time.
That’s the calm before the storm.
the calm before the storm 暴風雨前的寧靜 我們常聽到很多人用「暴風雨前的寧靜」
來形容災難或挑戰來臨前的安寧。
「暴風雨前的寧靜」就是 the calm before the storm。
除了災難之外，
也有人用 the calm before the storm
來形容忙碌之前的輕鬆時期。
Storm（暴風雨）代表著忙碌，
calm（平靜）就代表輕鬆。
The calm before the storm
就可以用來形容工作上
或是學業上開始忙碌之前的空檔。
這就是今天的 Info Cloud！
我們下次雲端見！
The Everlasting Storm The reason for this amazing display lies
in a unique blend of atmospheric conditions
and geographical features.
The northern Andes mountains that surround Lake Maracaibo
create a perfect storm
where warm, humid air from the Caribbean Sea
crashes into the cooler mountain air.
This situation generates the huge cumulonimbus clouds
where lightning is born.
最後來看形容詞
atmospheric 意思是大氣的，
譬如，The atmospheric pressure
dropped significantly before the storm arrived.
暴風雨來臨前，大氣壓明顯下降。
或是，Scientists are studying how climate change is
affecting the earth’s atmospheric composition.
科學家們正在研究
氣候變化如何影響地球的大氣成分。
或是，the weakening of the atmospheric shield that protects the earth
from harmful rays is a cause for concern.
保護地球免受有害輻射線傷害的
大氣層的減弱讓人感到憂心。
Okay, what causes this special place to have so much lightning?
Well, we read here that the reason for this amazing display,
which is kind of like a show, lies in a unique blend of atmospheric conditions
and geographical features.
Okay, a blend means a combination of two things or a mixture, right?
Yeah! For example,
a smoothie is a blend of many different kinds of fruits.
Yeah, I love smoothies! You can blend all sorts of different things.
You can blend music,
styles, or art.
But here we’re talking about conditions being blended.
So we read here what happens when things get blended:
The northern Andes mountains that surround Lake Maracaibo create a perfect storm.
Okay, a perfect storm is a violent storm
or situation made by events blending or combining.
That’s right! So
a perfect storm doesn’t necessarily
have to do with an actual storm.
It could be a lot of different situations
that come together to make an even worse situation.
Here’s an example:
Spilling my coffee,
being late to work, and stubbing
my toe created the perfect storm to put me in a bad mood.
Wow! That does sound like the perfect storm—a bad day!
That’s right!
Even though it has the word "perfect,"
which is normally really good,
we’re using it kind of ironically, you know?
Sometimes, at least as Americans, if something bad happens,
we might say "perfect," and that’s called sarcasm.
So it’s saying something that you don’t necessarily mean.
So you might hear someone use that word "perfect" like that.
Well, this does sound like the perfect storm—
a very dangerous place!
And we read where warm, humid air from the Caribbean Sea crashes
into the cooler mountain air.
This situation generates
the huge cumulonimbus clouds where lightning is born.
Okay, hot air and cold air come together
and make cumulonimbus clouds. Wow!
Wow!
Wow, wow!
Can you define that for us?
I’m going back to my elementary science classes
for this one, friends,
because I had to look it up.
I bet you know what it is,
but here’s the definition:
A cumulonimbus cloud is a dense, towering vertical cloud.
It’s commonly known as a thunderhead.
So in the United States,
when we’re talking about these types of clouds in conversation,
if you see a big cloud off in the distance
and it’s very big and dark,
we usually call it a thunderhead.
That’s right! And I’ve learned that
these clouds sometimes are really flat on the bottom
and maybe even at the top they look really scary.
They do! You can tell when you see one of these clouds
that a storm is definitely coming.
Now, there’s another phrase there:
These cumulonimbus clouds are where lightning is born.
So we talk about your birth or a birthday, right? To be born.
But you can also use this "were to be born" for non-living things.
If you want to have some fun
with descriptive language, right?
Yeah, we use this phrase as a brand
when we’re talking about the origin of something
or how something got its start.
So there is a phrase, "how a star is born,"
when someone becomes really famous.
Or you could say, "Oh, pizza was born in Italy,"
at the place where it began.
Well, friends,
we’ve learned a lot about this very dangerous sounding storm.
I think it’s time for a fun fact!
Hello, fact friends!
I’m Detective Ernest Finder,
and I have a fun lightning fact for you today.
Did you know that lightning is caused by electricity
in the clouds moving down to the earth very quickly?
Ho ho! Look out!
It is not a good idea to catch this electricity,
though people have tried,
so be very careful—
don’t be struck by lightning,
and that is today’s fun fact!
All right, friends!
We’ve been talking about the perfect storm,
this massive lightning storm,
and now I have a quiz about this lightning storm. Are you ready?
I am ready!
Okay, get ready!
Here’s the quiz: Lightning _____ across the sky.
A) thought
B) flew
C) flashed
Okay, three choices: thought, flew, or flashed.
Now, I could see how that
could be an option—
if there was a lot of lightning going on at once,
it could look like it flew.
But that’s not really what we say in English.
So it has to be "flashed."
Lightning flashed across the sky.
That’s right! That word "flash" is really cool—
it can mean move quickly and also make a bright light.
Well, friends,
it’s been fun talking about lightning today,
about these storms. There’s a lot more to think about,
and we’ve learned some great weather words.
But for now, before
we see you next time, I’m John.
I’m Ann Marie.
And we’ll see you next time for the second half of our lesson
right here on Studio Classroom!
The Everlasting Storm 卡塔通博「永恆風暴」(下) 空中英語教室 20241031
修正英文文法，保留中文部分，同時將簡體中文修改為繁體中文
Sure! Here’s the corrected version with traditional Chinese characters:
Hey friends,
Welcome back to Studio Classroom.
We’ve been talking, uh, yesterday and now today about a huge storm.
I’m John.
My name is Ann Marie.
And today is a great day to learn something new,
so let’s do that together.
It’s called the Beacon of Maracaibo by sailors,
or the Katatumbo Lightning by locals.
Where does it happen? Well,
this everlasting storm occurs in Venezuela,
and it is a seasonal storm,
so you can only see it during a very specific time of year.
That’s right, it’s a huge storm
where lightning strikes almost every two seconds,
and we’re going to talk about it more today.
Well, get out your magazines
and let’s get into the first section of the reading together:
The Everlasting Storm.
Despite its fierce power,
Katatumbo Lightning poses little threat to the locals
who have grown accustomed to its nightly displays.
But for the fishermen
who rely on the lake to provide food and income for their families,
the lightning can be fatal.
Scientists hope to be able to help these fishermen by learning
how to predict the lightning’s activity.
By studying wind patterns,
moisture levels, and dynamic atmospheric conditions,
researchers can teach fishermen how to stay safe on the lake.
Hello everyone,
Welcome to Language Lab.
I’m Jack.
我們先來看形容詞 "fierce"，
意思是激烈的、凶猛的。
例如：
The fierce winds and pouring rain knocked down electric lines
across the city.
狂風和暴雨摧毀了整個城市的電力線。
或是：
The fierce lion growled at the other animals that came near him
when he was eating.
正在進食的獅子凶猛地對接近它的動物咆哮。
"Fierce" 也指強烈的或狂熱的，
比如：
The competitor possessed a fierce determination to win
the gold medal.
這位競爭者抱持贏得金牌的強烈決心。
再來看 "predict" 這個動詞，
意思是預測。
譬如：
Social media has made it difficult to predict
which news stories are real and which are fake.
社群媒體讓我們很難預測
哪些新聞是真的，哪些是假的。
或是：
The weatherman used a computer model to predict
the path of the typhoon.
氣象預報員使用電腦模型
來預測台風的路徑。
"Predict" 的名詞是 "prediction"，
例如：
Farmers rely on weather predictions
to know the best times to plant their crops.
農民依賴天氣預報
來決定種植農作物的最佳時間。
OK, now for the big question.
Yesterday, we talked about this really, really big lightning storm.
But is it dangerous?
What do we read here?
Well, we read here:
Despite its fierce power, Katatumbo Lightning poses
little threat to the locals
who have grown accustomed to its nightly displays.
You learned about that word "fierce" in the Language Lab, friends,
and it does have a fierce power to it.
But we also see another phrase
that we want to talk about: to pose a threat.
That’s right! If something poses a threat,
it means it causes danger to something or someone.
You could also say something poses little threat, like we read here.
It’s not very dangerous, or you could say it poses no threat,
which means it’s not dangerous at all—
like my cat poses no threat to anyone except for mice.
All right, here’s another example of how you could use "to pose a threat":
The forest fire poses a threat to the nearby village.
Okay, so we have something else you want to look at here, friends:
the idea of growing accustomed to something.
So, to grow accustomed to means to get used to something.
That’s right! He’s grown accustomed to skipping breakfast
every morning before school.
That means he never eats breakfast and he’s used to it.
No way! Why would he do that?
Breakfast is my favorite meal!
We read on here:
But for the fishermen
who rely on the lake to provide food and income
for their families,
the lightning can be fatal.
So "fatal" means deadly.
There’s that word "income" that you need to know:
income means the money that you make from work, typically.
That’s right! So you could use this in a sentence, for example:
What’s the average income in that city?
That means what’s the average salary—
how much money does each person take in usually every month?
And that’s right, John!
This word "fatal" means to be something that causes death.
Sometimes we use this word
when we’re talking about accidents or bad things
that can happen. We can say:
There was a fatal accident in my neighborhood last week.
That would mean that there was an accident
and somebody passed away.
That’s right! You know,
there’s this word "fate,"
which means your destiny or kind of the end of your life.
And sometimes you can say someone met their fate,
which means that they died.
And that’s where we get this word:
something is fatal.
So this is really tough for those fishermen.
But what are scientists doing or hoping to do to help?
Well, we read on here:
Scientists hope to be able to help these fishermen by learning
how to predict the lightning’s activity.
So it sounds like the lightning is a little bit unpredictable.
If something is unpredictable,
you don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen, when it’s going to strike.
We know that the lightning is seasonal,
but it’s probably really hard to know
exactly when each lightning strike is going to happen.
Yeah, and it’s hard if you’re a fisherman.
You’re working in the water,
and as you probably know,
don’t mix water with electricity.
It’s a good way to cause a lot of damage.
But let’s read a little bit more
and learn some useful vocabulary about weather.
We read:
By studying wind patterns,
moisture levels,
and dynamic atmospheric conditions,
researchers can teach fishermen
how to stay safe on the lake.
Wind patterns—
how the wind moves.
Moisture levels—
how humid it is.
Humidity is something that I have not
yet gotten used to here on the island.
But what does it mean, "dynamic"?
Well, in this context,
this word "dynamic" means to have constant change,
activity, or progress.
So the idea is that it’s constantly moving
or constantly changing.
I see! So the way weather constantly changes
is a big challenge for scientists, isn’t it?
So what are they trying to teach fishermen?
Well, the researchers are trying to teach fishermen
how to stay safe on the lake
by trying to predict where the lightning
and when the lightning is going to strike
based on all of these things.
I think it’s always nice
how humans can adapt to changing situations.
Now, by the way, I really relate to these fishermen.
I love fishing,
and there’s nothing more frustrating
than wanting to go out fishing
but the weather is challenging.
Have you ever gone fishing in the rain?
I have gone fishing in the rain before,
but I know if I hear thunder or see lightning,
it is time to get off the water as soon as possible.
That is dangerous!
Well, friends,
right now it is time for us to go to our next reading:
The Everlasting Storm.
Today, Katatumbo holds
the honor of being officially recognized as the storm
capital of the world.
Tourists who flock there to witness
the lightning are filled with awe,
and there are many tour companies
that can help tourists get the most out of their experience.
接下來看名詞 "awe"，
意思是敬畏、驚嘆。例如：
Sarah felt a sense of awe
as she looked up at the millions of stars in the night sky.
Sarah仰望夜空中數以百萬計的星辰時
敬畏之心油然而生。
或是：
The children watched the magician with wide eyes
filled with awe at his tricks.
孩子們瞪大眼睛看著魔術師的表演，
對他的魔術感到驚奇。
或是：
Silence fell over the group
as they stood before the ancient ruins, filled with awe.
這群人站在古老的遺跡前時，
頓時陷入沉默，充滿敬畏。
All right, so this location is obviously really famous,
and we learned that today,
Katatumbo holds the honor of
being officially recognized as the storm capital of the world.
If something holds the honor,
it means it has the title.
Normally, that’s a good thing, right?
It is! It’s almost
always a good thing if we use the word "honor" here, friends.
It means that this place can claim that they have this.
But we see here
it is officially recognized as the storm capital of the world.
Now, a lot of times,
we talk about a certain place
being the "something" capital of the world
when they are really famous for it,
or when they have been officially recognized
for being famous for that thing.
Here’s an example:
Brussels, Belgium, is recognized as the chocolate capital of the world.
And that’s true!
I looked it up.
Neat!
Well, we’ll have to go to Brussels, I guess, for our next travel article.
But the storm capital of the world seems dangerous,
though it does not stop tourists.
We read:
Tourists who flock there to witness
the lightning are filled with awe.
Okay, "flock"—I know if this is a noun,
a flock of birds or sheep,
it means a big group.
But the verb "flock" means to get together
and often excitedly gather together.
That’s right!
And this has the idea that there are a lot of people all at once.
For example, the day after
Thanksgiving, people flock to stores to buy things on sale.
There’s a lot of people,
and they’re all going shopping.
So these people flock for a reason,
and as we read,
it’s to witness the lightning.
"Witnessing" means to see it with their own eyes.
So what happens?
Well, we read they’re filled with awe;
they’re amazed by it.
And companies are paying attention.
We read:
And there are many tour companies
that can help tourists to get the most out of their experience.
Okay, to get the most out of something,
what does that mean?
Well, if you get the most out of something,
it means you get the most use possible out of it.
It means that maybe you could enjoy it a little bit,
but if you get the most out of it,
it means you really enjoy it.
For example:
To get the most out of your season tickets,
you should go to as many games as you can.
I see! To get the most out of a new pair of shoes,
make sure you clean them and take good care of them.
And here,
tour companies are trying to help visitors
get the most out of their valuable time.
Have you ever had that happen on vacation?
You want to go see something,
but oh no, the timing wasn’t right?
Yes, in fact,
this happens to me
all the time. I want to get the most out of my vacation,
so sometimes I do too much,
and then I get really, really tired.
Or the other thing happens: I go on my vacation
and I plan to do something,
but I haven’t researched it enough,
and that thing is closed. I see.
It could be frustrating.
So tour companies like to make people happy on vacation.
Well, friends,
now it’s time for our Info Cloud. I hope there’s no lightning!
Hello everyone,
welcome to Info Cloud.
Have you heard about the latest media storm
surrounding British politics?
No, I haven’t. But even if I were following the news,
those scandals often turn out to be nothing more than a tempest
in a teapot.
You may be right.
Let’s stick to language tips in our chat today
and talk about what a "tempest in a teapot" means. A tempest is another word for storm.
Shakespeare has a famous play called The Tempest.
It begins with a giant storm that causes a shipwreck, so
storms are big
and they can cause a lot of damage. On the other hand,
a teapot is small. If a storm fits into a teapot or teacup,
as the idiom sometimes goes, it doesn’t cause any damage at all. Ah,
so we have a big powerful thing
but in a very small place.
Does that give you any clues to the meaning of this idiom?
When something small
causes a big response or reaction,
we can say
it’s a tempest in a teapot. When a lot of attention or argument
is given to something that isn’t important at all,
it can be described as a tempest in a teapot.
This idiom exists in many languages;
it is also translated as a storm in a glass of water.
tempest in a teapot 小題大做 今天要跟大家介紹的用語相當特別，那就是 "tempest in a teapot"。
Tempest 是暴風雨，teapot 是茶壺，
"tempest in a teapot" 字面上是茶壺裡的暴風雨，
就是用來形容在一件小事情上面，呃，有比較誇張的反應或者是小題大做。
例如一對夫妻為了芝麻綠豆的小事大吵一架，你就會說
"it’s just a tempest in a teapot"。
這只是小題大做的夫妻吵架，沒什麼大不了的。
這就是今天的 Info Cloud，
我們下次雲端見！
The everlasting storm for those seeking to experience the Katatumbo Lightning
in all its glory,
guided tours offer
a safe and exciting way to witness this amazing phenomenon.
In addition, boat trips on Lake Maracaibo
include wildlife encounters and cultural experiences.
Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or a curious explorer,
this electrifying event is sure to leave you speechless.
最後來看 "speechless" 這個形容詞，
意思是哑口無言的。
例如：
"The natural beauty of the rainforest left the tourists
speechless,
their cameras unable to capture the reality of the scenes."
熱帶雨林的自然美景
讓游客們目瞪口呆，
他們的相機無法捕捉到真實的景象。
或是：
"Because Marcy had done the majority of work on Peter’s project,
the news of his promotion left her speechless with anger."
由於 Marcy 在 Peter 負責的專案中
承擔了大部分的工作，
當 Peter 被升職的消息傳來時，
她氣得說不出話來。
或是：
"Mary Anne was speechless when Anthony asked her to marry him."
當 Anthony 向 Mary Anne 求婚時，
她驚訝地說不出話來。
All right, it’s time to visit the Katatumbo Lightning event.
If I’m a tourist there,
Ann Marie, what does our article encourage me to do?
Well, we read here:
"For those seeking to experience the Katatumbo Lightning in all its glory,
guided tours offer a safe and exciting way to witness
this amazing phenomenon."
Just a few things
we want to take a look at in this first sentence, friends.
First, let’s talk about something "in all its glory." Okay,
that normally means something
or someone’s very best appearance.
So you could say, "The sunrise happened in all its glory."
But you could use that in other ways too.
I sure could! I like to go visit the Taipei Rose Garden
when the roses are blooming in all their glory.
That’s the best time to go see the flowers.
That’s right! Glory is such a cool word,
and what better way to see something in all its glory
than with a professional
who has seen a place
a lot and knows it well?
We read that guided tours
offer a safe and exciting way to witness this amazing
phenomenon. To witness something,
as we talked about, means to see it with your own eyes, right?
That’s right! I got to witness
the butterfly migration in southern Taiwan before,
and it was really cool.
Wow, that sounds amazing!
It’s great to witness a natural event.
It’s a memory you may never forget.
Well, we also learned about another way to go
and experience the lightning and other parts of this location.
We read:
"In addition, boat trips on Lake Maracaibo
include wildlife encounters and cultural experiences."
Okay, wildlife encounters, cultural experiences—I know
cultural experiences means the things to do with the people
and, of course,
the culture of a place. What are encounters with wildlife?
Well, in general,
an encounter is when you come into
contact with something; you run into it or you experience it.
So an encounter could be used like this:
"Did you encounter any problems on your vacation?"
Did you come across any problems?
Did you run into any problems?
But a wildlife encounter is
talking about some type of activity
where you can experience different kinds of animals.
Oh, whenever
I think of this word "encounter," I think of the game Pokémon
because you’re always having wildlife encounters,
sometimes with famous electric Pokémon, for those of you who know Pokémon.
You know what I’m talking about! But speaking of electricity, we read:
"Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or a curious explorer,
this electrifying event is sure to leave you speechless."
Okay, an electrifying event—what does that mean?
Well, if something is electrifying,
it means that it’s really, really exciting,
and you get excited about it. For example,
"Her speech was so electrifying
that many people were moved to action."
I see. Now, if you use the word "electrified,"
that can also mean that you are so focused on something
that is electrifying that you’re totally focused on it.
But you could also say that something is literally electrified.
Normally,
a fence could be an electrified fence or an electric fence.
Well, I do think this event would leave me speechless. How about you?
Definitely! It’s something that
I would love to see if I ever got the chance.
Friends, we’ll be back in just a moment, right
after today’s fun fact!
Hello, fact friends! I’m Detective
Ernest Finder,
and I have a fun fact for you.
Today, did you know that
lightning can be dangerous for filmmakers
who are outside?
It’s true! In a movie called The Passion,
the lead actor was hit
by lightning while filming outside.
He was alive at the end and went on to make other great movies,
but that is today’s fun fact!
All right, friends, well,
this has been an electrifying article here.
I hope you get the chance to review the English
we’ve learned today.
Ann Marie, if someone gave you a ticket to Venezuela
and said,
"We’re going to put you on a boat in the middle of this storm,"
would you go?
This is a really good question! I think I might.
I think I would really love to see this.
I have never really been afraid of storms
or afraid of lightning.
I grew up around a lot of lightning storms.
I don’t know how
it would feel to see this many lightning strikes at the same time,
though I might have to think about that before
I accept this ticket.
Yeah, maybe you can see this event from the beach,
somewhere safe.
Well, friends,
that’s the end of our time for today.
We’ll have to have another travel article next month.
I wonder where we will go! Be sure to pick up your magazine
if you haven’t already. There’s a lot more
we can study, and there are a lot of terms
that we learned today about weather.
So get out there, use them,
and please be careful—do not get hit by lightning!
I’m John.
My name is Ann Marie,
and we will see you next time right here on Studio Classroom.
Goodbye!
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