First impressions

BBC Learning EnglishTalk about EnglishFirst Sight, Second ThoughtsPart 1 – First impressionsThis programme was first broadcast in 1999.
　　This is not an accurate word-for-word transcript 1 of the programme.
　　You’re listening to “First Sight, Second Thoughts” from the BBC World Service, theseries which views life in Britain through the eyes of her immigrant population.
　　Mushtaq: Everything of course was very new - going to England was such a dream, youknow.
　　Renate: Very popular here are these orange street lights and they are actually pretty dimand dark. (Laughs). So, the impression what I remember of Cardiff is grey, grey,grey... I'm sorry! (Laughs)Ana: Sometimes I couldn't even breathe because the wind was so strong. And I do still miss the sunshine of Mexico.
　　Presenter 2: Voices of immigrants as they remember their first impressions of Britain.
　　Today we discover if their ‘first sights’ of Britain matched their expectations.
　　Immigrants（移民） from India, Guyana, Mexico, Germany, Pakistan, Botswana andIran tell us about their first impressions.
　　Talk about English ? BBC Learning EnglishPage 2 of 6bbclearningenglish.comInsert 1My name is Rajinder Dulai. I came from Punjab in India. I came into Britain on 16thDecember 1977 and landed at Heathrow Airport terminal 3. Immigration officers weren't thatfriendly but the whole excitement (sort of) overcame that unfriendliness from the immigrationofficer and then we got out of the airport, and it was very chilly 3…very cold.
　　Presenter: Although Rajinder clearly remembers the unfriendliness of the immigrationofficers, and the chilly winter weather, arriving in Britain was still an excitingexperience for him. Our next speaker arrived during the Spring, when theweather wasn’t quite as cold.
　　Insert 2Coming into London, I was a wee bit disappointed when I saw the buildings. Because I wasnot accustomed to such big buildings - looking so brown - everything looked alike. I wasimpressed with street traders as I passed. Beautiful flowers, because it was Spring. TheSpring everywhere. But the houses...I didn't like the looks of them at all.
　　Presenter: So Muriel’s first sight of London in the Spring was a pleasant experience,particularly because of the flowers. But the buildings weren’t quite what sheexpected! She said they were “a wee bit” disappointing – a little bitdisappointing, because she wasn’t “accustomed” to them… She wasn’t used toseeing so many big, brown buildings. And Muriel certainly wasn’t impressed bythe look of the houses.
　　Talk about English ? BBC Learning EnglishPage 3 of 6bbclearningenglish.comOur next speaker settled in the north of England. She shares Muriel’s firstimpressions of the houses and also talks about the weather.
　　Insert 3My name is Ana Silvia Rodriguez. I'm Mexican. I have lived in England for the past 20 years.
　　It was difficult at first in terms of the climate. I used to find Leeds very windy. Sometimes Icouldn't even breathe because the wind was so strong. And I do still miss the sunshine ofMexico.
　　It was the houses that I found also very different - with rows after rows of terraced houses. Inthe North of England we have lots of brick houses, particularly in a city like Leeds. I wasused to greens and pinks and blues 4, and a big house with a small house. But in England, youfind that houses are very similar to each other.
　　Presenter: As we’ve heard, immigrants who’ve come from warm countries, like Mexico,sometimes find the climate – the weather - in Britain quite difficult to get usedto. And like Muriel, Ana was surprised by the houses; she wasn’t accustomedto seeing rows and rows of brick ‘terraced houses’. A terraced house is one ofa row of similar houses joined together by their side walls. Our next speakerarrived in Britain in 1964. She recalls her first impressions of Cardiff, thecapital city of Wales.
　　Insert 4My name is Renate Thornton. Originally I'm (coming) from East Prussia… now Kalinigrad.
　　And being a refugee, we moved right across Germany and then we moved to Cardiff in Wales.
　　Compared with Munich of course, this was a great shock to me. Everything seemed to be verygrey, dull - nothing happened. When you went, for example, to the cinema, you had to run tothe bus, to get home, to catch the last bus. There were no restaurants （餐馆）or cafes open whereyou could sit afterwards and have a chat about the play or the film and.lots of rain. In Cardiffthere was lots of rain.....(laughs).
　　Talk about English ? BBC Learning EnglishPage 4 of 6bbclearningenglish.comPresenter: So, coming to Wales from Germany was a great shock - an unsettlingexperience for Renate. There was too much rain, and as she said, ‘nothinghappened’ in Cardiff during the 1960’s - she felt there was very little for her todo in her leisure time.
　　Mushtaq Mohammed came to Britain from Pakistan at the age of 14 to playcricket. His English teammates nicknamed him ‘Mushy’ - because it was easierfor them to pronounce! Although Mushy arrived in Britain many years ago, hisfirst impressions were lasting 5. He particularly remembers Lords and The Oval –two of Britain’s most famous cricket grounds.
　　Insert 5I first came to England in 1958 with the Pakistan Eaglettes. Everything of course was verynew - going to England was such a dream, you know, for any youngsters, and to come andplay cricket here - to see Lords, see Oval cricket ground and I heard about it from my elderbrothers. They'd been here before me and they, all the time, talk about England and Englandwas THE place in those days where the cricketers win - so well established and recognised.
　　For me to come here in 1958 was a dream.
　　(SFX Cricket actuality!!)Presenter: Fond memories there from Mushy. His older brothers had played cricket inBritain before him and through their eyes, he saw England as “THE place” - theTalk about English ? BBC Learning EnglishPage 5 of 6bbclearningenglish.combest place - to play and win cricket... and he wasn’t disappointed.
　　Our next speaker, Bootsie, also felt she knew what to expect. She’d heardabout Britain through friends and relatives, and had read books about it becauseshe’d been planning to study here.
　　Insert 6W hen I lived in Botswana, really, I had an idea of what to expect here because I have friendswho have studied here. I have relatives who’ve lived here. So, I knew and heard a lot aboutthe country and in any case, that’s why probably it wasn't difficult for me to blend in. So, itwasn't a shock, because I had read about the country and I had so much knowledge aboutBritain.
　　Presenter: Bootsie found it easy to ‘blend in, to fit into English society, because she was well prepared. But was she really prepared for life at a university in London?
　　Insert 7When I arrived here, the first thing that I thought of doing when I came out of Heathrow -actually it was the very same day I arrived. I was so anxious - very curious to see myuniversity. And I went there that afternoon and I couldn't believe what I saw. I was sodepressed and I actually thought no, I don't think this is the right place for me to come andstudy. I didn't like the place at all. The administration （管理）centre that I saw the first time. Itlooked like a really dilapidated（破旧） building. I was really worried and I remember, I even said tomy aunt that day... “I think I don't want to study here. I'm not happy about this place”. Andanyway, she gave me a bit of courage… that, “no, no , no. It's how it is. It's not that kind ofcampus life where you have the grounds and everything. Most universities in London are likethat.” It looked more like offices to me. It didn't look like a university but this is England andLondon is very different from home and other countries.
　　Presenter: Bootsie soon got used to her University buildings and is now a third year student.
　　Next, we hear from Mojtaba, who’s also a student. He’s been learning English forTalk about English ? BBC Learning EnglishPage 6 of 6bbclearningenglish.comabout seven months. His first impressions of England were of the weather and thebuildings because they reminded him of the northern part of his own country, Iran.
　　Insert 8My name is Mojtaba Amini. I'm from Iran. I came in England in 1998. Actually, when Iarrived in London from Heathrow, weather and some buildings remind me the north of Iran.
　　Because something similar. North of Iran by the sea always raining.... And always, you can'tfind many time sunshine and you know, sometimes sun shining and you can't trust weather.
　　Every five minutes or every (one) hour weather change. And that really remind me… my northcountry.




点击收听单词发音  






1
transcript

  
 


n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书


参考例句：





A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。












2
presenter

  
 


n.（电视、广播的）主持人，赠与者


参考例句：





Most people think being a television presenter is exciting.很多人认为当电视节目主持人是一件刺激的事情。
The programme dispensed with its most popular presenter.这个节目最受欢迎的主持人被换掉了。












3
chilly

  
 


adj.凉快的，寒冷的


参考例句：





I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。












4
blues

  
 


n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐


参考例句：





She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。












5
lasting

  
 


adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持


参考例句：





The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。