第27期：Celebrating the season

　　Celebrating the season(2006-2007学年第27期)

　　在线收听：
　　
　　(点击右键“另存为”可下载音频)

　　By Geoff Lemon

　　Spring and Cai discuss the New Season.

　　Spring:Hey, Cai. Good to see you! How was your vacation?

　　Cai:Hello, Spring. I had a wonderful time. It was so good to see my parents and all my hometown friends. But now I’m glad to be back for the new semester.

　　Spring:Yeah! Me too. I was so glad to get away from the dorm and go back home. But after a while I got a little bored. All I wanted to do was come back to my friends here on campus and resume study.

　　Cai:One thing is for sure — that break was welcome. You really need to “recharge your batteries” sometimes.

　　Spring: You said it! But the great thing is we have a new season — Spring! It’s so fresh and invigorating! So tell me... why did you choose to call yourself Spring, anyway?

　　Cai:That’s easy. I was born in Spring. I’m a Spring baby! And you’re right... I love it this time of year.

　　Spring:But, you know, it seems like Winter is not far away — with that cold blast of snowy air we just had.

　　Cai:Sure, but that’s the great thing about this season — it’s so powerful. Winter may not want to let go, but new growth just can’t be held back. I love it when all the flowers and trees begin to bloom.

　　Spring:Me too. Hey... would you like to come with me to Yu Yuan Tan Park on the weekend?

　　Cai:Oh, I’ve never been. But I always wanted to go there.

　　Spring:It’s fantastic at this time of year. We can enjoy the Cherry blossoms(樱花), and now there will be so many poplars(杨树) and willows flowering too.

　　Cai:Yes. I noticed that there were some lovely, stately, Chinese scholartrees(槐树) already beginning to bloom in my hometown. I love their fragrance in full bloom.

　　Spring:That’s the thing I like most about Spring — all the flowers. I just love the perfume of Roses.

　　Cai: Then I think we should also make a trip to the Botanical Garden sometime too.

　　Spring: Ok. Let’s put that on the list.

　　Cai:Yes, but we’ll pick a nice warm day, when it’s still, and the wind is not blowing.

　　Spring: Right. The weather is quite unpredictable these days — even for Spring.

　　Cai:Better blame that on “Global warming.” They say that climate change will become more extreme.

　　Spring:Well, did you see on TV how warm it had become in the United States — all of a sudden during Winter — and all the flowers and trees started blooming early.

　　Cai: Yes. But that is such a pity don’t you think?

　　Spring:Why?

　　Cai:Because when it reverted back to Winter conditions all the blooms would die, and they only flower once a year. So the flowering period would be very short for them this year.

　　Spring: What a pity! Anyway the seasons are relatively normal here — at least for now. So that’s just another good reason to get out and enjoy the fresh weather — while we’re still able.