沪江论坛社区--已奖【空中英语教室】到美国人家中做客 May 5~6

Visiting an American Home
What do you do when you're a guest?

Monday, May 05, 2008

When you are invited to a meal in an American home, it will probably be i______(非正式的). The food is usually served family style, so everyone passes the food to one another. Americans love to talk while they eat, so expect a lively conversation.

When you are invited, you can ask if you may bring something for the meal. If the h______(女主人) refuses, do not take a dish. That would be i______(失礼的). Instead, take candy, flowers or a small gift from your country. But you don't expect you to bring anything.

Plan to arrive on time or just a few minutes late. Do not arrive early. The hostess needs the last few minutes to get everything ready. If you are going to be more than 15 minutes late, call to let the hostess know.

When you arrive, you don't need to take your shoes. Most Americans wear their shoes their homes. But m______ a__ h____(不要拘束(当自己家一样) ) as Americans treat guests like family.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Conversation A
(Jack and Laura received an invitation to dinner.)
Laura: Jan and Bill Brandt invited us to dinner on Friday night. I told them we'd come.
Jack: Great! You know I love Jan's cooking. What time?
Laura: 6:30.
Jack: Can we take anything?
Laura: No, it's not a p______(百乐餐(参加者各自带餐点以与他人共享的餐会)). Jan wants to do all the food p______(准备) herself.
Jack: Well, let's take some flowers. Jan loves roses.
Laura: Good idea. And can you come home from work a little earlier than usual? I'd like to be on time.
Jack: OK. I'll try.

Conversation B
(Friday night, Jack and Laura are going home after dinner.)
Laura: What a delicious dinner.
Jack: It was. I had high e______(期望，期待), and I wasn't disappointed!
Laura: It was very nice of you to help clear the table and do the dishes.
Jack: I don't mind. I get lots of practice at home!
Laura: The Brandts have a beautiful bathroom, don't they?
Jack: Yes, they do. I had to be careful not to s______(泼溅) water on the floor.
Laura: I'm glad you were. I wish you'd be more careful at home!

Word Bank

informal (adj) 非正式的: You don't have to wear nice clothes to the party. It's informal.
hostess (n) 女主人: The hostess made us feel very comfortable and fed us delicious food.
impolite (adj) 失礼的: Don't put your elbows on the table when you eat. That's impolite.
make oneself at home (idiom) 不要拘束(当自己家一样): I'm so glad you came to my house! Make yourself at home.
potluck (n) 百乐餐(参加者各自带餐点以与他人共享的餐会): Everyone brought a dish of food to the potluck.
preparation (n) 准备: Denise didn't ask for any help. She did all the preparation for the party herself.
expectation (n) 期望，期待: I can't wait to try this restaurant. I have very high expectation for it.
splash (v) 泼溅: Tommy splashed water on his sister in the swimming pool.

翻译答案：

算好时间准时赴约或晚几分钟到，不要提早到。
不用，这次不是百乐餐。珍打算自己准备所有吃的东西。

Key Points

Americans often have informal meals where they pass food around.
You don't need to take anything when you are invited to eat at an American home.
It's nice to help clean up after a meal.

Talk About It

What are some differences you see between meals in American homes and meals in Chinese homes?
What do you think is the biggest difference?
Have you ever been to a potluck? If so, did you like it?

Exercises for Today:

1.猜词：根据文中空缺的8个词的中文意思猜出英文原词。（奖励40）
2.翻译：把标有下划线的句子翻成中文。（奖励40）
3.造句和讨论：任意选择8个词中的一个或多个进行造句。并且参加Talk About It.（奖励50）

说明：

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4.参考答案回复可见。
5.课文视频下载
2008-05-05
2008-05-06

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[此贴子已经被作者于2008-5-8 20:41:12编辑过]