英语播客 A Cup of English A stack for winter.

We used to have a large pine tree in our front garden. It was a very tall, old one. It was planted about thirty years ago, but last year, we decided to cut it down. I wouldn't normally agree to chop down a tree, but this one was yucky. Half of one side of it had no branches, and it looked weak. My husband and I are really into trees, and really into planting them, so we had a plan of filling in the area with new pine trees. I found it hard to imagine what the front garden would look like once our shade giving old pine was gone. We need shade in this area, so I hesitated at first. However, I know how enthusiastic my husband is about getting a permit each year to go up into the mountains to dig up trees for our garden. I imagined that the area left by the old pine would soon be filled in with many more trees, and probably healthier ones as well. And I was right. The new trees are growing fast, creating shade, smelling and looking great, and givng the impression of a mini forest. So, what did we do with the old tree? The same thing that a lot of people do around here. You see, we need trees for the shade in summer, but we need wood to burn in the freezing winters. So, our need for winter wood has been met. With the help of a good friend who used to be a forest ranger, Tom cut up the old pine into large logs for our fireplace. Both of them used chain saws. It was a noisy process, but exciting at the same time. The front area of our garden smelt like pine and smoke for a while, as the tree was getting chopped up. Now we have an organized pile of wood, sitting next to our garage, ready for when winter comes. Our boys are big enough now, that we can ask them to run out and each get a log so that we can build a fire in the fireplace in the evenings. As we sit and watch the fire dance, and hear the wood crack, we can remember the old pine, and look forward to our new mini forest getting taller and thicker.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: to hesitate, a permit, to give an impression, fireplace.

1. He hesitated before asking for help; for a moment he thought that he could handle the problem by himself.

2. You have to get a permit from the forest ranger before you dig up trees.

3. They gave me the impression that they are not from around here.

4. The hotel's fireplace was huge, made of rough stone, and with a massive mantlepiece.