World Traveller
 |
 |
David
|
Todd
|
Todd: Tennessee?
Tenn: Yes.
Todd: We're gonna talk about sports.
Tenn: OK. I'm not big on sports but..
Todd: OK. Well, that's OK. So you don't like sports?
Tenn: Well, I like sports but I'm just not an avid sports watcher. You know I would usually rather watch a movie or some kind of history program.
Todd: Oh, OK. So you're into history.
Tenn: Oh, yes!
Todd: OK. What kind of history?
Tenn: That's a kind of a difficult question. I would say I'm interested-- primarily, I'm interested in ancient and medieval but I also like studying the history of the countries that I visit it makes it more interesting when I go sight-seeing.
Todd: OK. What countries have you visited?
Tenn: I've been to 26 countries.
Todd: Really?
Tenn: Yeah.
Todd: Oh, OK. Yeah, you can't name them all.
Tenn: The big ones I would say, I've been over a good bit of Europe, Mexico, Peru.. I spent almost a year in Egypt and I went to Isreal, Jordan and now I'm here in Japan. I've been here in Japan a year and a half. And while I have been here, I visited Korea for about a week.
Todd: OK. Wow! That's a lot so did you do the Pyramids in Egypt?
Tenn: Oh, yes. Actually, I climbed the pyramids.
Todd: Oh, really? Nice. What's it like on the top?
Tenn: Very, very interesting. You can see-- it was during the summer so the visibility was rather low.
Todd: Oh, OK.
Tenn: But, to see we were on The Great Pyramid and the second Pyramid Kefron was right nearby and it is a very different perspective to see it from. Very interesting to be eye-level, to be on the same level as the top of that second pyramid.
Todd: OK. Wow! So you were in Peru, right?
Tenn: Yes.
Todd: OK. What's the big thing people see in Peru?
Tenn: Machu Pichu.
Todd: Machu Pichu. OK. What is Machu Pichu?
Tenn: Machu Pichu is the ruins of a city that was built by the Inca People.
Todd: OK.
Tenn: Maybe over six hundred years ago and was lost, no one knew what happened to it until it was recently discovered about a hundred years ago.
Todd: OK. Wow. Nice. All right, thanks a lot David.
Tenn: Sure!
Todd: Or Tennessee.
big on
I'm not big on sports.
If you are 'big on' something you really enjoy it. Notice the following:
- Right now I am very big on decorating magazines.
- It seems like you're really big on music.
avid sports watcher
I like sports, but I'm just not an avid sports watcher.
I f you are 'avid' about doing something you are very interested in it and it's an important part of your life. We can put avid in front of a noun or noun phrase to show this. Notice the following:
- He was a really avid swimmer when he was a little boy.
- He is a really avid learner and is always reading.
sight-seeing
Studying a country's history makes it more interesting when
I go
sight-seeing.
To go 'sight-seeing' is to visit the important or popular places in a place. Notice the following:
- Did you go sight seeing a lot in Greece?
- We went sight-seeing the first few days of our vacation.
low visibility
It was during the summer, so the visibility was rather low.
'Low visibility' means you can't see very far in front of you. This can be because of weather or contamination in the air. Notice the following:
- There was low visibility because of the snow.
- It was difficult to drive because of the low visibility.
see from
It is a very different perspective to see from.
If you are standing in a specific place looking at something you are 'seeing it' from the point where you are standing. We can use that phrase 'a different perspective to see from' to talk about a physical view or an intellectual view. Notice the following:
- If you see from my point of view, the added cost is
unacceptable for our budget.
- The top of the hill is the best spot to see from.
Vocabulary Quiz
low visibility • see from
