英語(yǔ)播客 A Cup of English After school.

One part of my daily routine during the week is to pick up the kids from school. I'm sure that a lot of you listening now probably do the same thing. Thankfully, I live very close to the school where three of my children go. It's literally a three minute drive from my house. My kids used to catch the bus home, but, interestingly enough, it would take them an hour to get home. We decided that it was a bit of a waste of time sitting on a bus for an hour, when they could be at home relaxing or doing homework. So, now you can find me sitting in the line of cars, waiting for my little ones to come running out. I watch the school buses pull up to the sidewalk, just in front of the kindergarten block. The children who take the bus have to line up outside a little earlier than the rest of the kids; they wouldn't want to miss the bus. Some of the students live far away, so it's a good job that the buses are available. Other children live quite close to the school, so they can simply walk home. There is an interesting system of road safety to get the kids safely across the various roads on the way to and from school. The oldest students in the school, the fifth graders, put a bright green vest on, bring out green plastic models of children that stand on the road near the cross walks, and they help the younger children cross the roads in a safe manner. Cars are supposed to stop at a cross walk anyway, if there are people there. So, that is the system. I sit in my car and wait for the bell. I love to see how the masses of children pour out of the building; they spill out like different colored beads, going everywhere, and of course, making lots of noise. The parents put their magazines away, or put their cell phones down, start up the cars, and get ready for the kids. It's time to hand out some snacks, and to hear the stories about how the day went.

Grammar notes.

The use of 'enough' + adverbs to express surprize or contrast: strangely enough, oddly enough, interestingly enough.

1. The new hotel was finished in May, but strangely enough, it wasn't open for clients until a year later.

2. She is very loud and opinionated, but oddly enough, in a group she acts very shy.

3. He is hard of hearing, but interestingly enough, he is a great piano player.