Dario: What sort of gift should I give someone who has just moved into a new apartment?
Brian: You mean what is a good house-warming gift?
Dario: Yeah, I have been invited to the house-warming party.
Brian: You should buy something that you know they don't have.
Dario: The trouble is that I don't know the people very well.
Brian: That makes the decision a bit harder.
Dario: I could buy towels or a toaster!
Brian: They might already have a toaster and you don't know what color towels will match their bathroom.
Dario: So give me an idea smurfbrain!
Brian: Buy them a plant! You can never go wrong with a pot-plant!
达瑞奥:有人刚搬进新家,我应该送什么样的礼物?
布赖恩:你是说什么是好的暖屋礼物?
达瑞奥:是的,我被邀请参加暖屋聚会。
布赖恩:你应该买那些你知道他们没有的东西。
达瑞奥:可问题是我不是很了解他们。
布赖恩:那你做决定可就有点困难了。
达瑞奥:我可以买毛巾或者烤面包机!
布赖恩:他们也许已经有烤面包机了,而且你不知道哪种颜色的毛巾和他们家浴室相配。
达瑞奥:那么,快给我个主意,智多星!
布赖恩:给他们买一盆植物!买盆栽植物永远错不了!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Words (生词)
1) Oldies: your parents
家中的老人:你的父母
My oldies are so uncool - when I go to parties they make me come home by midnight.
我父母真不可理喻-我去聚会时,他们要我午夜以前回家。
2) Shank: slang word for a knife
刀:俚语,意为刀
At the nightclub last night, I saw two guys fighting and one of them had a real long shank.
昨天晚上在夜总会,我看到两个家伙打架,其中一个有一把很长的刀。
3) Goes sick: goes wild, crazy
疯了:发疯,疯狂的
I was so hungry yesterday at the restaurant that I thought I would go sick and order one of everything on the menu.
昨天在餐馆里,我非常饿,我想我快要发疯了,想要把菜单上的每道菜都点一份来吃。
4) Cuddle: hold lovingly
拥抱:亲切地抱着
Watching a movie while I cuddle my boyfriend is a great way to spend a wet weekend afternoon.
拥抱着我的男朋友看电影,是个很好的度过一个雨天的周末下午的方式。
Lesson: 课文
A recent survey showed that 65 percent of all households in the USA have at least one pet of some sort. Cats were the most popular, followed by dogs, fish and hamsters. Snakes were understandably close to the bottom of the list.
最近一个调查显示,百分之六十五的美国家庭有至少一只各种种类的宠物。猫是最受欢迎的,随后是狗,鱼和仓鼠。可以理解,蛇接近于排名的尾部。
Having a pet is a big responsibility. Cats and dogs live for around 10 -12 years on average while turtles can live for 40 to 50 years! All pets will require lots of care and attention during their life. Before deciding to get a pet, think very carefully about whether you can really give a pet what it needs - your time, love and care.
饲养宠物是一项很大的责任。猫和狗的平均寿命为10到12年,而乌龟可以活40到50年!所有的宠物在其一生中都需要大量的照顾和关心。在决定饲养一只宠物之前,要仔细考虑你是否真的能给予一只宠物它所需要的东西-你的时间,爱心和照顾。
once you have decided you have what it takes to keep a pet, think about the types of pet that suits your circumstances. There is no point buying a dog that will grow very large if you live in an apartment. A cat is not really suitable if you travel a lot and will never be at home to care for it.
一旦你认定你有饲养一只宠物所需的东西,考虑一下什么类型的宠物适合于你的环境。如果你住在公寓里,养一只会长的很大的狗是没有用处的。如果你经常出差而没有时间照顾宠物,你不适于养猫。
Fish, like goldfish, can be kept easily and require a minimum of attention. Of course, you can't throw a ball and watch the fish fetch it, like you can with a cat or a dog, but fish are great for young kids. Remember not to feed them too often and change the water every now and then.
鱼,例如金鱼,很容易饲养,需要的注意也最少。当然,你不能象对猫或狗那样,扔一个球给它们,期待着鱼会把球给你拿回来。但是鱼很适合于小孩子。记住不要过于频繁地给它们味食,还要经常换水。
Pets are a very personal thing. Some people hate cats but love dogs, while some are scared of dogs but love fish. For this reason it's best not to give a pet as a gift - even if you know the person well. Maybe they don't want the additional responsibility that a pet brings.
宠物是很个性化的东西。很多人讨厌猫而喜欢狗,而有些人害怕狗而喜欢鱼。为此,不用把宠物当作礼物-即使你很了解那个人。也许他们不喜欢宠物带来的额外的责任和负担。
Dialogue (对话)
Jeff: Joan, do you want to see my new puppy?
Joan: I love puppies! They're so cute!
Jeff: Sometimes they are, but not when you have to clean up after them.
Joan: Have you house-trained your puppy yet?
Jeff: Do you mean have I taught it not to poop all over house?
Joan: Yes - how is the house-training going?
Jeff: Slowly. I think my puppy is a bit dumb. He can't seem to remember not to poop in the bedroom.
Joan: Maybe it's the teacher who is at fault.
Jeff: I have shown him 50 times where to go, but he just refuses.
Joan: I'm sure that it took your parents a long time to house-train you!
杰夫:琼,你想看我新的小狗吗?
琼:我喜欢小狗!它们真可爱!
杰夫:有时侯它们是很可爱,但是当你要跟在它们后头打扫卫生就不可爱了。
琼:你给你的小狗进行过“室内训练”了吗?
杰夫:你是说教它不要在屋子里大小便吗?
琼:是的,训练的怎么样了?
杰夫:进展很慢,我想我的小狗有点苯,看起来它记不住不能在卧室里大小便。
琼:也许问题是出在老师身上。
杰夫:我演示了50遍该去哪里,但是它就是拒绝照我说的做。
琼:我敢说你父母一定花了很长时间对你进行“室内训练”。
NEW WORDS (生词)
1) Carefree: without worry, relaxed
无忧无虑:没有烦恼,轻松的
After my final exams are over I will be the most carefree person in the world.
期末考试过后,我会成为世界上最无忧无虑的人。
2) Optimistic: looking at things positively, not negatively
乐观的:积极地看待事物,而不是消极地
Pessimists say that the glass is half empty, but I am an optimist and say that it is half full.
悲观主义者说那个杯子是半空的,但是我是乐观主义者,我说那个杯子是半满的。
3) Invincible: cannot be beaten
无敌的:不可挫败的
Manchester United Football Club are sometimes called invincible, but they can be beaten.
曼彻斯特联合足球俱乐部有时被称作无敌的,但是他们是可以被打败的。
4) Duet: when two people sing the same song together
二重唱:当两个人一起唱同一首歌
Most duets are slow, tender love songs.
大部分二重唱是慢而柔和的爱情歌曲。
Dialogue(对话)
Jessie: I read a book recently that said that it is 'better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all'.
Tina: I bet a man wrote that.
Jessie: I think it was a man. How did you guess?
Tina: Men always say rubbish like that. I hate being heartbroken.
Jessie: I agree, but imagine going through life and never loving someone.
Tina: Hmmm. It is pretty hard to imagine that.
Jessie: As long as we stay optimistic, I am sure that everything will work out alright.
Tina: Maybe, maybe not, but at least we can sing a duet while we wait!
杰西:我最近读了一本书,它说“曾经爱过又丢失了爱情,要比从没爱过好”。
迪娜:我打赌是一个男人写的。
杰西:我想是一个男人写的。你怎么猜出来的?
迪娜:男人总是说这些没用的话。我可不愿伤心欲绝。
杰西:我同意,但是,想象一下一生中不曾爱过任何人会是什么样?
迪娜:嗯,这的确很难想象。
杰西:只要我们保持乐观,我相信一切都会变好的。
迪娜:也许是,也许不是,但是至少我们在等待时可以唱一段二重唱!