T&N – Unit 1 – Lesson 4 – Umbrellas

/ʌmˈbreləz/
The Umbrella is a very ordinary object.
/ðiː ʌmˈbrelə ɪz ə ˈverɪ ˈɔːdnrɪ ˈɒbʤɪkt/
It keeps the rain and the sun off people.
/ɪt kiːps ðə reɪn ənd ðə sʌn ɒf ˈpiːpl/
Most umbrellas fold up, so it is easy to carry them.
/məʊst ʌmˈbreləz fəʊld ʌp səʊ ɪt ɪz ˈiːzɪ tə ˈkærɪ ðəm/
However, the umbrella did not begin life as an ordinary object.
/haʊˈevə ðiː ʌmˈbrelə dɪd nɒt bɪˈgɪn laɪf æz ən ˈɔːdnrɪ ˈɒbʤɪkt/
It was a sign of royalty or importance.
/ɪt wəz ə saɪn əv ˈrɔɪəltɪ ə ɪmˈpɔːtəns/
Some African tribes still use umbrellas in this way today.
/sʌm ˈæfrɪkən traɪbz stɪl juːs ʌmˈbreləz ɪn ðɪs weɪ təˈdeɪ/
Someone carries an umbrella and walks behind the king or important
person.
/ˈsʌmwʌn ˈkærɪz ən ʌmˈbrelə ənd wɔːks bɪˈhaɪnd ðə kɪŋ ə ɪmˈpɔːtənt ˈpɜːsn/
Umbrellas are very old.
/ʌmˈbreləz ə ˈverɪ əʊld/
The Chinese had them in the eleventh century B.C.
/ðə ˈʧaɪˈniːz həd ðəm ɪn ðiː ɪˈlevnθ ˈsenʧʊrɪ biː siː/
From there, umbrellas traveled to India, Persia, and Egypt.
/frɒm ðeə ʌmˈbreləz ˈtrævld tə ˈɪndɪə ˈpɜːʒə ənd ˈiːʤɪpt/
In Greece and Rome, men wouldn’t use them.
/ɪn griːs ənd rəʊm men ˈwʊdnt juːs ðəm/
They believed umbrellas were only for women.
/ðeɪ bɪˈliːvd ʌmˈbreləz wɜː ˈəʊnlɪ fə ˈwɪmɪn/
When the Spanish explorers went to Mexico, they saw the Aztec kings using
umbrellas.
/wen ðə ˈspænɪʃ ɪksˈplɔːrəz went tʊ ˈmeksɪkəʊ ðeɪ sɔː ðiː ˈæztek kɪŋz ˈjuːzɪŋ
ʌmˈbreləz/
English explorers saw Native American princes carrying umbrellas on the
east coast of North America.
/ˈɪŋglɪʃ ɪksˈplɔːrəz sɔː ˈneɪtɪv əˈmerɪkən ˈprɪnsɪz ˈkærɪɪŋ ʌmˈbreləz ɒn ðiː iːst kəʊst
əv nɔːθ əˈmerɪkə/
It seems that people in different parts of the world invented umbrellas at
different times.
/ɪt siːmz ðæt ˈpiːpl ɪn ˈdɪfrənt pɑːts əv ðə wɜːld ɪnˈventɪd ʌmˈbreləz ət ˈdɪfrənt
taɪmz/
England was probably the first country in Europe where ordinary people
used umbrellas against the rain.
/ˈɪŋglənd wəz ˈprɒbəblɪ ðə fɜːst ˈkʌntrɪ ɪn ˈjʊərəp weə ˈɔːdnrɪ ˈpiːpl juːst
ʌmˈbreləz əˈgenst ðə reɪn/
England has a rainy climate, and umbrellas are very useful there.
/ˈɪŋglənd həz ə ˈreɪnɪ ˈklaɪmɪt ənd ʌmˈbreləz ə ˈverɪ ˈjuːsfʊl ðeə/
Everybody uses umbrellas today.
/ˈevrɪbɒdɪ ˈjuːsɪz ʌmˈbreləz təˈdeɪ/
The next time you carry one, remember that for centuries only great men
and women used them.
/ðə nekst taɪm jʊ ˈkærɪ wʌn rɪˈmembə ðæt fə ˈsenʧʊrɪz ˈəʊnlɪ greɪt men ənd
ˈwɪmɪn juːst ðəm/
Perhaps you are really a king or queen, a princess or prince.
/pəˈhæps jʊ ə ˈrɪəlɪ ə kɪŋ ə kwiːn ə prɪnˈses ə prɪns/