摘要：A: When I want to look something like more original, I started to watch some Korean movies or Indian movies from Bollywood, which
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你更欣赏哪个国家的电影
A: When I want to look something like more original, I started to watch some Korean movies or Indian movies from Bollywood, which are really interesting. I was fairly surprised. Try it guys because Korean movies are great. Are great.
我想看原创电影时，我会选择韩国电影或印度宝莱坞的电影，这些电影非常有意思。我感到相当震惊。我建议你们也看看，韩国电影真的很不错。非常不错。
B: Korean movies are good but the ones – the typical thing about Korean movies, they always end bad.
韩国电影是不错，不过韩国电影中有一些典型的情节，而且结局通常不好。
C: They always end with cancer.
通常都有癌症情节。
B: Whereas Hollywood movies, usually there's always like it has a good ending.
而好莱坞电影的结局都很好。
A: And actually, Japanese movies do the same thing. The happy ending is not so granted. And probably many people like them for this reason.
实际上，日本电影和韩国电影一样。日本电影一般也不会是圆满结局。这可能是许多人喜欢这类电影的原因。
B: And I would say that even Norwegian movies, they try to, you know, go out from the norm that movies are supposed to end nicely. And that they have like a shocking ending. It's like reading a novel with a shocking ending that you wouldn't expect to happen.
甚至挪威电影也在试图摆脱常态，尽量不出现美好的结局。他们喜欢令人吃惊的结局。就好像你看了一本小说，结局令你非常震惊，你之前完全没有想到。
A: Because I think some love movies really have a bad effect on the real life because people are trying to have the same relationship that they see on the movies. And then when it's not like – love is not like that. It's not that beautiful. It's not like happy ending all the time. And so they...
我认为一些爱情电影对现实生活产生了不好的影响，因为人们会试图寻找电影中呈现的那种恋爱关系。可是现实是，爱情并不是那样的。爱情并没有那么美好。并不是所有的恋情都有美满的结果。所以他们……
B: Oh but...
哦，可是……
C: Yeah.
对。
A: And then–and they are shocked when their real life – they see that they...
当他们的现实生活不像电影那样美好时，他们会感到震惊……
B: But not all movies are like that. I mean, even animation movies like you've seen Up, right?
可是并不是所有电影都是那样的。还有一些动画电影，你看过《飞屋环游记》吗？
A: Well, the plot is like they fall in love, they have like a nice time, and then the problematic moment. You know, they overcome like the difficulties, and then at the end, they live all together. Happy ending.
电影情节都是这样的，男女主人公坠入爱河并度过了一段美好时光，然后是他们之间会产生问题。接下来他们克服会困难，最后他们一起幸福的生活。圆满结局。
C: Well, that's the usual Western discourse of how you produce a movie. But I think nowadays, movie producers are trying to do a lot of different things from the past.
一般西方电影都是这样的。不过我认为，现在的电影制作人在努力制作与以前不同的电影。
A: Yeah, they try but basically...
对，他们是在努力，不过……
B: It's interesting to say because maybe why we prefer movies to have good endings and why we prefer them to be very harmonic is because maybe we don't want to watch depressing things. We want the movie to give us a good feeling in the aftermath.
值得思考的是，也许我们喜欢看美好和美满结局的电影是因为，我们不想看到令人沮丧的事情。我们希望看完电影后能有好心情。
A: To give us hope.
给我们希望。
B: Yeah, give us hope, give us like good thoughts. And you know when I watched Up for instance, which is an animation. When I just saw the first part of the movie, it really – I almost cried just watching it. I never cry to an animation film like that before. It was really, really touching.
对，给我们希望和积极的想法。举个例子，我在看动画电影《飞屋环游记》时，在电影最开始的时候，我看哭了。之前我看动画电影从来没哭过。那真的令人非常感动。
A: Right. I cried to the Lion King. [Laughs]
没错。我看《狮子王》的时候哭了。（笑）
B: When I was younger, I cried to the Lion King.
我小时候看《狮子王》时也哭了。
A: No, I still cry when I see that.
我现在看依然会哭。
C: I mean it's good to be emotional.
我认为调动情绪的电影是好电影。
A: Oh yeah. When the movie is good, it's good forever.
没错。如果一部电影是好电影，那就永远是好电影。
旧金山最有意思的地方是哪里
A: Hi, Todd.
嗨,托德。
B: Hey, Sarah. How are you?
嘿,萨拉。你好吗?
A: Good. How are you?
我很好。你呢?
B: Not bad.
还不错。
A: So I heard you are from San Francisco.
我听说你来自旧金山。
B: That's right. Yeah, I was born there and I lived in the city for many years.
没错。我出生在旧金山,而且在那座城市生活了很多年。
A: Cool. What is the most interesting thing about your city?
真酷。你认为旧金山最有意思的地方是什么?
B: Well, San Francisco has many interesting things, but the most interesting thing is probably the architecture. There's lots of very unique buildings. And the most unique building is probably the Trans-America building. It's a building like a pyramid. It's nice.
旧金山有很多有趣的事情,不过最有意思的应该是建筑。旧金山有很多独特的建筑。最独特的建筑应该是泛美大楼。那座大楼很像金字塔。非常不错。
A: Well, that's really cool.
嗯,那真酷。
B: Uh-hmm.
嗯。
A: What is the most expensive area in San Francisco?
那旧金山最昂贵的地段是哪里?
B: Well, it is very, very expensive. The most expensive area is a place called Pacific Heights, and it's on the highest hill in San Francisco and it overlooks the Bay. It's a really, really beautiful place.
旧金山的物价非常高。最贵的地区是太平洋高地,那里位于旧金山最高的山上,可以俯瞰旧金山湾。那是一个非常非常漂亮的地方。
A: Hmm.
嗯。
B: That area by far has the best views of the city.
那是整个旧金山市视野最好的地区。
A: Hmm, what is the most beautiful place in San Francisco?
嗯,那旧金山最美丽的地方在哪里?
B: Well, actually the most beautiful place is outside the city. It's a place called Muir Woods. And it has the tallest trees in the world, and some of these trees are really old. They are the oldest trees in North America. Some of them are over 2,000 years old.
其实最漂亮的地方在郊外。那个地方名为穆尔森林。那里有世界上最高的树,还有很多非常古老的树。那些树是北美洲最老的树。一些树的年龄已经超过2000岁了。
A: Wow. It sounds like some place I would like to see. So it sounds really expensive. Where is the cheapest place to live?
哇哦。听起来那是我想去游览的地方。而且听上去确实很贵。那生活成本最便宜的地方是哪里?
B: The cheapest place to live is a place called Sunset. And Sunset is on the west side, and the houses are kind of old and they're a little bit cheap. But one thing about Sunset is it has nicest view of the ocean, and you could watch the sunset every night. That's why it's called the Sunset area.
生活成本最便宜的地方是日落区。日落区位于旧金山西部,那里的房子很老,相对便宜一些。日落区拥有最棒的海景,你可以每晚观赏日落。那也是日落区得名的原因。
A: Hmm. If I wanted to go there, when is the best time to visit?
嗯。如果我想去那里游玩,那什么时候是最佳时间?
B: Well, the best time is probably in the fall because that's when the weather is the nicest. It's not too cold, and it's not too hot. And it doesn't rain that much.
最佳游玩时间是秋天,因为那时的天气是最好的。不冷也不热。雨水也不多。
A: So when would be the worst time to visit?
那最差的游览时间是什么时候?
B: The worst time to visit would be probably February and March, because February and March are the coldest and wettest months. So – well, March isn't that cold but sometimes it's wet, so it rains a lot.
最糟糕的游玩时间是2月和3月,因为2月和2月是最冷最潮湿的时间。3月不太冷,可是很潮湿,雨水很多。
A: Wow. That sounds really great. I want to go there.
哇哦。听上去很不错。我想去那里玩。
B: Yeah, you should. It's great place.
好啊,你应该去看看。那是个很棒的地方。
A: Okay. So Sarah, I see you eat soup every day at work. Why are you eating soup every day?
好。萨拉,我看到你每天上班都会喝汤。你为什么每天都喝汤?
B: That's because I love to cook soup.
因为我喜欢做汤喝。
A: So you make the soup?
你自己动手做汤?
B: Yes, it's very easy to make.
对,很容易做的。
A: So you cook it and then you just bring it to work everyday?
你做好以后带去办公室?
B: Yeah. I just make a lot on Monday and then I bring it to work everyday of the week.
对。我周一会做很多汤,然后工作日每天带一点去办公室。
A: Oh nice. So how do you make the soup? What's your secret?
真不错。你怎么做汤?有什么秘诀吗?
B: Well, I like to cook very easy. So I buy meat that's already cut up, usually, chicken and then some rice, usually brown rice and then I buy some vegetables. So after I bought the ingredients, I chop them up and I put them all together in water until boils and add some seasoning.
我喜欢简单烹饪。我会买已经切好的肉,通常我会买鸡肉,再买些糙米和蔬菜。买好原料以后,我会把它们切碎,然后等水开以后一起放进去煮,最后再加一些调味品。
A: Okay. So you say the water boils, so as soon as the water boils that's when you put in all the ingredients?
好。你说把水煮开,那是水一开你就把所有原料都放进去煮吗?
B: Yes, that's right.
对,没错。
A: So you don't put in the ingredients before the water boils.
在水煮开以前不放原料。
B: No. I guess, it's just easier for the water to be hot because then the vegetables and the meat cook a little faster.
不放。水开以后再放进去煮比较容易,因为这样蔬菜和肉熟的更快。
A: So how do you give the soup flavoring?
那怎么给汤调味?
B: I usually add salt and pepper, maybe some garlic. And depending on the type of soup, either maybe some soy sauce or lemon juice.
一般我会加盐、辣椒还有一些大蒜。这要取决于是哪种汤,有的汤要放酱油或柠檬汁。
A: Okay. Do you put in the flavoring after you put in the ingredients or before you put in the ingredients?
好。你是在放原料之后加调味品还是在之前调味?
B: Maybe after but usually, right about all at the same time.
放原料之后,不过我差不多是同时进行调味。
A: Okay.
好。
B: So I just put everything in at one time.
我会同时把所有东西放进去。
A: And then after you cook the soup, do you put the soup in the refrigerator? Do you let it sit outside?
汤做好以后你是把汤放进冰箱吗?还是先在外面放一会儿?
B: I usually eat some right then, and I also put it in containers for the week. But I let it sit in the containers out on the counter for a while for it to cool before I put in the refrigerator.
做好以后我会喝一点儿,然后把要带去办公室的汤放在容器里。装汤的容器要先在厨房的操作台上放一会儿,然后再放进冰箱。
A: All right. And so, you don't put it in the refrigerator until it is cool?
好。在汤凉了以后你才会放到冰箱里去?
B: Until it's about room temperature.
在汤的温度和室温差不多的时候放进去。
A: Okay, nice. And then how do you heat it up? Do you heat it up in a pot or do you heat it up in the microwave?
好,很好。那你怎么加热?你是用锅热汤还是用微波炉热?
B: In the microwave. It's the easiest.
用微波炉。这是最简单的方法。
A: Yeah. Nice. So you make enough for five meals?
对,不错。你会做出足够五顿饭的量?
B: Maybe, sometimes. If I think I will get tired of eating it during the week then maybe I'll just make enough for three or four meals. But if it's some kind that I think is really delicious and I know I want to eat it everyday, then I'll make a lot.
也许吧,有时是。如果我认为这个汤喝一礼拜我会喝腻,那我可能只做三四顿的量出来。如果我认为那个汤非常好喝,我知道我想每天都喝,那我就会多做一些。
A: Well, if that happens, when you make the soup, you can make it for six or seven and give me a bowl.
如果是这样,你做汤的时候,可以做出六七顿的量来,然后给我一碗。
B: Okay. I'll do that next time.
好。下次我就这么做。
A: Oh great. Thanks.
真不错。谢谢。
带蹒跚学步的孩子坐飞机是种什么体验
A: So Jeremy, you mentioned earlier that you've been back to Canada with your baby. How was that experience?
杰里米,你之前说过你带着你的宝宝回了加拿大。那个经历怎么样?
B: Well, I mean, until you fly with a toddler, you really never get to appreciate all of those times that you flew across the ocean, you know, watching movies or reading magazines or just sleeping on the flight because those days are over.
嗯,在和蹒跚学步的孩子一起坐过飞机以后,你才会珍惜那些看电影或看杂志或睡觉度过的飞行时光,因为那些日子已经结束了。
A: Wow.
哇哦。
B: I mean, it's not that bad but when you're on the plane, you say, "Never again." I remember about halfway into a 10-hour trans-Pacific flight, I thought, "Well, I can maybe do this every three years but not more than once a year for sure."I mean, first of all, our boy was bigger than most children for his age. So he was about one year old. And, you know, they have these bassinets that you're allowed to put your child in and, you know, the baby will hopefully sleep for a while. So the stewardess sets up the bassinet, we're all ready to put him in there and then she says, "How old is he?" And he was 12 kilos, and this was for 11.5 maximum.
虽然情况没有那么糟糕,不过就带孩子坐飞机来说,我想说“永远不想再来一次”。我们回加拿大要坐飞机飞越太平洋,要飞行10个小时,我记得飞行途中,我想“我也许可以每三年带孩子回一趟加拿大,一年绝对不能超过一次”。我的意思是,首先,我儿子比同龄孩子的个子高。他大概一岁。飞机上有婴儿摇篮,可以把孩子放在里面,希望孩子能在里面睡一会儿。空姐会把摇篮安装好,我们已经准备把孩子放在里面了,这时空姐说,“他多大了?”他已经12公斤了,摇篮最大承重是11.5公斤。
A: Oh no.
哦不。
B: And they wouldn't let us put him in there, so they had to take the whole thing apart and basically, we had to find some way to have him sleep on our laps for the next nine hours.
所以他们不让我们把孩子放在里面,然后他们把摇篮拆掉了,所以剩下的九个小时,我们只能想办法让他在我们的腿上睡觉。
A: Oh, wow.
哇哦。
B: I mean, you know, one-year old like to crawl around. They like to scream, they like to cry. Other people on the flight don't like that so much. So, you know, it's basically every minute of silence you just savor and just pray that this will keep going, and it never does. But, you know, once he falls asleep and the plane is quiet and they turn off the lights then, you know, it's okay. But it's too long. It's too long for a one-year old. So I can maybe manage it once a year but that's about it.
你知道,一岁左右的孩子喜欢到处爬。他们喜欢喊叫,也会经常哭。飞机上的其他人对这点感到不满。你想享受安静的时刻,希望这种安静能够持续下去,可是经常事与愿违。不过,他睡着以后,飞机上就安静了,他们会把灯关掉,这样很好。不过飞行时间太长了。对1岁的孩子来说,时间太长了。也许一年一次我还可以应付。
A: I remember my sister, she has two kids and she told me a story a few years back when one of her daughters was still a toddler, and they went to Disneyland from Canada. And she said it was just horrible, and they would never do it again. And I just smiled. I didn't have that experience. I was just thinking, "What could be so bad about it?" But hearing your story now, wow, I can only imagine.
我姐姐有两个孩子,她和我说过几年前的一个经历,当时她其中一个女儿还是蹒跚学步的孩子,他们从加拿大坐飞机去迪斯尼乐园玩。她说那是次可怕的经历,他们不想再经历一次。当时我只是笑笑。我还没有那种经历。我当时在想,“怎么会这么糟?”不过听了你的经历以后,我可以想象了。
B: Well, I think that – actually most people, most passengers on the flight are usually quite understanding. And I think it's just, you know, in the parents' head that everybody is judging them, everybody is looking at them. Because, you know, I get so worried about what other people are thinking, that inconveniencing others that I just work myself up so much, and my wife is the same way. But, you know, talking – actually, we did have people say to us like, "Don't worry about it." They will just go out of their way to say, "Oh, what a cute baby" and stuff like that. So I think people were kind of aware of how stressful it is for parents. And they just – some people actually make an effort to make parents feel like everybody is not silently judging them or maybe not even silently.
嗯,其实飞机上的大部分乘客都能理解。不过在父母看来,所有人都在评价他们,所有人都在关注他们。因为我非常担心别人的想法,给其他人带去不便让我很不安,我妻子也是一样。有一些乘客跟我们说,“不用担心”。他们会贴心地跟我们说,“哦,这孩子好可爱啊”之类的话。我认为,人们意识到这种情况会让孩子的父母非常紧张。一些人会努力让父母感觉,没有人在默默地评价他们,或者没有人在评价他们。
A: Okay. Not saying anything. If you had an advice, one advice to give to a parent that would travel with that child in the future, what would you tell them?
好。什么都不说。如果让你给以后要带孩子旅行的家长提建议,你会说什么?
B: My best advice is if you can fly in the morning. So after baby wakes up and you have your breakfast and your flight is maybe at, I don't know, 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning, I think that works out if it's a, say, a 10-hour flight because you'll land it'll be probably around bedtime, like his normal bedtime. The first time we did it, the flight was in the late evening. So basically, he'd been up all day. And then there was another 10 hours on top of that. So, you know, when we landed, the readjustment to his normal schedule was really, really difficult. But when we flew in the morning and it was a 10-hour flight, when we landed, he just basically went to sleep like a normal schedule. So that's a small thing but it really makes a big difference.
我能给的最好的建议是,尽量在早上坐飞机。孩子起床以后吃早餐,你们的航班定在上午9点或是10点左右,如果要飞行10个小时,这个时间很合适,因为飞机降落时差不多也到了孩子的睡觉时间。我们第一次带孩子坐飞机坐的是深夜航班。他已经玩一整天了。然后还要再坐10个小时的飞机。我们降落以后,再调整他的作息时间非常困难。如果上午坐飞机,经过10个小时的飞行以后,降落时间正好是他正常作息的睡眠时间。虽然这是小事,不过会产生很大的影响。
A: Thank you.
谢谢。
厄瓜多尔为什么会有那么多文化差异
A: Felipe, I want to ask you something that perhaps you can help me. I'm doing that paper of cultural diversity of Ecuador, perhaps you can tell me a little bit more about it.
菲利佩,我想问你些事情,我想你可以帮助我。我正在写有关厄瓜多尔文化多样性的论文,也许你可以给我介绍一下。
B: Well, that's a really amazing topic we can talk about. Yeah. Well, Ecuador is really interesting because it has a lot of ethnic – many, many different ethnic groups. For example, depending on the regions, you know, for example in the coastal region, we have the Montubios ethnic group who have their own, you know, traditional language and food. In the highlands, we have the Quechua communities, who speak, you know, Quechua, which is a language originally from Peru from the Inca Empire. And if you travel to the Amazon region, you can find many different kinds of ethnic groups such as the Huaoranis who live in the jungle, you know, in the Amazon region. And you also can find Afro-Americans, you know, people who came from Africa in the 16th Century who live in the north part of Ecuador. Though they don't have the traditional language, they have traditional food and they have created their own, you know, music and many different traditions.
嗯,这是一个非常棒的话题,我们可以谈谈。厄瓜多尔是一个非常有意思的国家,因为厄瓜多尔有很多不同的族群。举例来说,依据地域划分的话,沿海地区有Montubios族,他们有自己的传统语言和传统食物。克丘亚族生活在高原,他们说克丘亚语,这种语言起源于秘鲁印加帝国。如果你去亚马逊地区,你会发现那里有很多少数民族,比如生活在亚马逊丛林的Huaoranis族。厄瓜多尔还有非裔美国人,这些人的祖先是16世纪的非洲人,他们现在生活在厄瓜多尔的北部地区。虽然他们没有传统语言,不过他们有传统食物,而且他们创造了自己民族的音乐类型和许多民族传统。
A: That is amazing. How can that happen in such a small country like Ecuador, have so many differences, cultural differences?
这太不可思议了。厄瓜多尔这样的小国家,为什么会有这么多文化差异?
B: Yeah. That's because of history, you know, because if you look at the history of Ecuador, it's quite diverse. You have that in the 16th Century, Spanish people came and they brought a lot of culture and this culture is now mixed with the indigenous culture because originally in Ecuador, some – I don't know – 10,000 years ago, indigenous people have been living there. So that when Spanish people came, they both shared their own cultures. And also, you know, the Afro-American from Africa, they brought a lot of music and traditional culture from Africa. So that's the reason why you have a lot of diversity. It's really, really enjoyable, Ecuador.
嗯。这是因为历史原因,厄瓜多尔的历史极具多样性。16世纪时,西班牙人来到厄瓜多尔,他们带来了很多文化,这些文化和本木文化相融合,在大约1万年前,就有原住民生活在厄瓜多尔了。西班牙人到厄瓜多尔以后,他们和原住民互相分享各自的文化。另外,来自非洲的非裔美国人,他们带来了很多非洲的传统音乐和传统文化。这就是厄瓜多尔多样性丰富的原因。厄瓜多尔是一个非常有趣的国家。
A: That is so interesting. Really, thank you for this information. I think it's going to be really helpful for my paper.
这的确非常有意思。谢谢你的介绍。我想这对我的论文非常有帮助。
B: Great. Okay. You're welcome.
那太好了。不客气。
在日本生活的西方人能很快适应当地的生活吗
A: So Antoinette, you've been living in Japan for a while now, right?
安托万内特,你已经在日本生活一段时间了,对吧?
B: Yes, that's right.
对,没错。
A: Well, can you tell me, do you like to use chopsticks or forks and knives more?
我想问你,你现在更喜欢用筷子还是更喜欢用刀叉?
B: It depends on what I'm eating really. For the most part, I enjoy using chopsticks. They are easy to use. I don't have to worry about cutting anything. And especially if I'm eating Japanese food, which tends to be chopped in small pieces, small bite-size pieces, chopsticks are perfect. But when I'm eating Western food or spaghetti, I prefer using Western style utensils.
这取决于我在吃什么。大多数情况下,我喜欢用筷子。筷子用起来很方便。我不用担心切到东西。尤其是在吃日本食物的时候,日本食物一般会切成小块,大概一口大小,非常适合用筷子。不过在吃西方食物或意面的时候,我更喜欢用西式餐具。
A: Oh okay, that makes sense. What about sleeping, do you like to sleep on like a Western bed or a Japanese futon?
哦,好,有道理。那睡觉呢?你是喜欢睡在床上还是睡在日式床垫上?
B: Actually, it depends on the season.
这要看季节而定。
A: Why is that?
为什么?
B: Well, in summer, I prefer sleeping on a futon. It seems cooler than a bed. But in winter, I love a cozy, plush bed with lots of pillows and quilts or duvets. And yeah, I like to feel cozy.
夏天我喜欢睡在日式床垫上。因为日式床垫好像比床要凉爽一些。不过冬天我喜欢睡在温暖舒适的床上,上面要有很多枕头和被子。我喜欢舒适的感觉。
A: That sounds nice. Okay. How about having shoes on or off in the house?
听起来不错。好。那你在房间里穿鞋吗?还是会脱掉鞋?
B: Hmm, I like to go barefoot – well, with socks. My feet get cold.
嗯,我喜欢光脚在房间里走动,当然要穿袜子了。不然我的脚会冷的。
A: Well, do you use slippers?
嗯,你穿拖鞋吗?
B: No.
不穿。
A: Okay.
好的。
B: I find slippers uncomfortable unless they are the kind that fit your foot. They're not actually the correct size for my foot.
我感觉,如果拖鞋不合脚的话,穿着非常不舒服。拖鞋的尺寸不符合我脚的尺寸。
A: Oh, I see. So Japanese slippers are a different size from you.
哦,我明白了。日式拖鞋的尺寸不适合你。
B: They are one-size fits all and I just feel like kicking them off anytime.
他们只有一种尺寸,我穿着的时候感觉随时会把鞋踢掉。
A: Right. Okay. How about, you know, in Japan, a lot of times people sit on the floor, but you don't really do that very much in the United States. Do you like sitting in chairs or on the floor more?
好。好的。在日本,人们经常坐在地板上,不过美国并不经常这样做。那你喜欢坐在椅子上还是坐在地板上?
B: I like both actually. Again, it depends on the season. The floor is so nice and cool in summer, and I like just feeling that coolness. But in winter, I want fabric underneath me, and I want cushions that tend to act – provide a barrier for cold wind.
两个都喜欢。我要再说一遍,这要取决于季节。夏天的时候地板很好,因为凉快,我喜欢那种凉爽的感觉。不过冬天的时候,我喜欢坐在垫子上面,希望坐垫能抵抗寒风。
A: Right, right. Eating out is a little different, too. I think in Japan, you tend to share all the meals that you have but maybe back home you usually just buy one meal.
好,嗯。在外出就餐方面,两国也存在不同。我认为日本喜欢共享食物,不过在美国通常我们只买自己的饭。
B: That's true. Maybe I'm a germ-phobic American – I don't know. I like eating my own food. I don't like to share. If it's one huge serving plate that's meant for several people, then fine. But I like just having my own plate of food.
没错。也许我是有洁癖的美国人,我也不清楚。我喜欢自己吃自己的食物。我不喜欢分享食物。如果一个特别大的餐盘里装着几人份的食物,那我也可以接受。不过我喜欢吃饭的时候有自己的餐盘。
A: Oh, okay. There's one more. What about having a shower or a bath? I think in Japan, they usually have like a detachable shower-head and you can shower yourself before going into the bath. What do you prefer?
哦,好。还有一个问题。沐浴或泡澡呢?日本一般用可拆卸的淋浴喷头,在进浴缸以前可以先冲洗一下。你喜欢哪种洗澡的方式?
B: Well, I like showers, either way as long as the water is hot. Whether it's detachable or not, as long as the water is hot, I like showers. And I like having water run down my body. That's a pleasant feeling. But I also like sitting in a hot tub of water but not for too long.
我喜欢淋浴,只要是热水,哪种都可以。无论是不是可拆卸的淋浴喷头,只要是热水就可以,我很喜欢淋浴。我喜欢水流过我身体的感觉。那种感觉非常舒服。不过我也喜欢坐在热水浴缸里,不过时间不会太久。
A: Well, what about the bathtubs because I think they are different sizes, aren't they?
嗯,那浴缸呢?我知道日本浴缸和西方浴缸的尺寸不一样,对吧?
B: They are. I like the fact that Japanese baths allow you to sit in water up to your neck. But I also like the fact that Western style baths allow you to recline in the water.
没错。日本浴缸,你坐进去以后,水可以到你的颈部,我喜欢那种感觉。不过我也喜欢西方的浴缸,因为我可以斜躺在浴缸里。
A: Right. You can stretch out more.
对。可以伸展身体。
B: So you can stretch out, yeah.
没错,可以伸直身体躺在浴缸里。
A: Oh, okay. I see.
好的,我明白了。
B: That's a hard call.
很难选择。
西方人怎么看待日本餐具
A: Well, Warren, you know, we've been talking about the fact that we both live in Japan and that we're both from Western countries. Tell me, how do you feel about Western eating utensils compared to Japanese eating utensils?
沃伦,我们两个人现在都生活在日本,而且我们都来自西方国家。和我说说,你怎么看西方的餐具和日本的餐具?
B: Well, you know, even in Japan, they use Western utensils sometimes. But overall, I do like chopsticks. I think it's very handy. It's just easier to pick up certain things. When I first came to Japan and saw people eating salad with chopsticks, I thought it was very strange. But if I tried to eat it with a fork now, it's actually very difficult to pick up things like lettuce. And I prefer using chopsticks for things like that.
你知道,日本有时也会用西方餐具。总体来说,我很喜欢筷子。我认为筷子非常方便。有些食物用筷子夹更容易。我刚来日本的时候,看到人们用筷子吃沙拉,当时我认为那真是太奇怪了。不过我在尝试用叉子吃沙拉的时候,我发现很难吃到莴苣。所以像这种食物我更喜欢用筷子吃。
A: When you first started using chopsticks, did you get hand cramps?
你刚开始用筷子时,手有没有抽筋?
B: Not so much because – I can't recall when I started using them, but I actually, I became comfortable with them before coming to Japan.
我的情况并不严重,我记不清我从什么时候开始用筷子了,不过我在来日本之前已经习惯用筷子了。
A: That's good to know.
这很好。
B: Uh-hmm.
嗯。
A: Well, what about sleeping? How do you sleep? Do you prefer a bed or do you prefer the Japanese style futon?
那睡觉呢?你怎么睡觉?你是喜欢睡在床上还是喜欢睡在日式床垫上?
B: Well, it's funny you say that. At first, I hated the idea of this thin little mattress but I did find that it's actually quite nice for my back. I actually prefer it to Western beds because it's better for my back. But I don't like sleeping on the floor. I like being higher up.
你这么问真有趣。一开始,我讨厌那个又薄又小的垫子,不过后来我发现它对我的后背有好处。其实相比于西方的床,我更喜欢日式床垫,因为睡在上面我感觉后背更舒服。不过我不喜欢睡在地板上。我喜欢睡在高一点的地方。
A: So a high futon.
睡在高的日式床垫上。
B: If I could get like, you know, a tatami mat that's raised with a futon mattress on top, that would be best for me.
如果可以在榻榻米上放日式床垫,那应该是最适合我的。
A: You know, I think I've seen things like that in the stores, platform bed with tatami.
我想我在商店里看到过类似的,榻榻米硬板床。
B: Oh, that sounds nice. I should look for that.
哦,听起来不错。我应该去找找。
A: Yeah. I should find one for you and point you in that direction. Well, what about bathing? The Japanese are famous for their incense and the way they bathe. So do you prefer a Japanese style bathing situation or a Western style shower?
对。我可以帮你找找,然后告诉你在哪里。那洗澡呢?日本以香薰和沐浴方式而闻名。你是喜欢日本的沐浴还是西方的淋浴?
B: Well, I actually much prefer the Japanese style now. When I go back home, I find it quite difficult. I like to be able to clean myself before going into the bathtub.
其实现在我非常喜欢日式沐浴。我回家的时候,感觉很难。我喜欢先洗一下然后再进浴缸。
A: That's a good thing. I do enjoy that as well. What about the custom of taking your shoes off before going into a house?
这很好。我也很喜欢那样。那进屋前脱鞋的习惯呢?
B: Well, that doesn't bother me too much. Growing up in Canada, I always took my shoes off coming inside anyways. I don't think it's as much of a ritual in Canada but many people do it just to keep a clean house. But sometimes, if I run out and I forget something like my car keys and I want to just run back inside, I'll tend to want to keep my shoes on rather than taking them on and off every single time.
嗯,这的确令我非常困扰。我在加拿大长大,我在进屋之前都会先脱鞋。我认为那并不是加拿大的习俗,许多人这样做只是为了保持房子的洁净。不过有时,如果我赶时间,而我又忘了拿车钥匙,那我会穿着鞋跑进去拿钥匙,而不是脱鞋进屋,然后出来再把鞋穿好。
A: Okay, tell me. Confess now. Do you sometimes keep your shoes on and go into the house?
好。告诉我,现在承认吧。你是不是经常穿着鞋进房子?
B: Yeah, sometimes I have. But I've caught my wife doing it a couple of times too, and she's Japanese. So I guess I'm not that bad.
对,有时。不过我发现我妻子也这样做过几次,而她是日本人。我想这可能并不是那么糟的事情。
A: Hey, I don't think so. I do it, too. What about sitting on the floor versus sitting in chairs? Which do you prefer?
嗯,我想那并不糟糕。我也会穿鞋进屋。那坐在地板上和坐在椅子上,你更喜欢哪种?
B: Oh again, I really dislike sitting on the floor. It isn't very comfortable for me. I'm a little bit tall. I have long legs and I don't seem to have a place to put my legs when I'm on the floor. Usually, my legs will fall asleep quickly and my back will start to bother me. So I prefer to sit up in a chair.
哦,我要再说一次,我真的非常不喜欢坐在地板上。对我来说那非常不舒服。我个子有点高。我的腿很长,坐在地上的时候,我的腿没地方放。通常,我的腿很快就会开始放松,可是我的后背又开始让我感到很痛苦。所以我喜欢坐在椅子上。
A: Oh that's too bad. I guess my last question refers to eating habits – well, meals and how they're served. Do you prefer to eat meals that are served to you individually or do you prefer to eat and share your food?
哦,那太糟糕了。我最后一个问题与饮食习惯有关,与进餐和食物供应方式有关。你是喜欢食物以单人份供应还是喜欢分享食物?
B: Well, that's a good question but I don't know if I have a preference. I like the idea of eating all sorts of different things, so it can be fun eating in a Japanese style sometimes. But there are times where do I like to just have my own meal in front of me as well.
嗯,这是个好问题,不过我也不清楚自己喜欢什么。我喜欢可以吃到各种食物的饮食习惯,所以日式饮食习惯有时很有趣。不过有时我只想吃我面前的单人份食物。
你们国家有哪些特大城市
A: Hello, my name is Goron. I'm from Italy.
大家好,我是高伦。我来自意大利。
B: My name is Win. I'm from Vietnam.
我是温。我来自越南。
C: My name is Michael. I'm from Norway.
我是迈克尔。我来自挪威。
A: So today, we're going to discuss about mega cities. So do you have mega cities in your countries?
今天,我们要来讨论一下特大城市。你们国家有特大城市吗?
B: Well, Vietnam is still a developing country, but we have several big city. The city I'm from, Ho Chi Minh City is – I think it's the biggest city in Vietnam. And we have people flocking from the countryside to the city every year. And the population keeps growing but infrastructure is not capable of keeping up with the population, so we kind of have some problem right there.
越南现在还是发展中国家,不过我们有几座大城市。我来自胡志明市,那是越南最大的城市。每年都有很多人从乡村前往胡志明市。城市人口持续增长,但是基础设施建设没能跟上人口的增长幅度,因此引发了一些问题。
C: No. Norway does not have any mega city. But even so, we have problems with infrastructure. We have a huge car queues but they're actually right now, they are doing everything they can to develop that infrastructure. And most of our capital, Oslo, is actually planned – well, it plans for the roads to all be sub-terrestrial.
没有。挪威没有特大城市。不过即使这样,我们的基础设施也存在问题。我们的交通拥堵特别严重,现在他们正尽一切努力发展基础设施。我们的首都奥斯陆在规划地下线路。
A: Okay. In Italy, the biggest city is Rome. It's a really ancient city, as you know. And so for this reason, it was built for horses, for a really small amount of people, not five million as, I think, we have today. So the biggest problem in Rome is the traffic jam. Sometimes, it could be terrible, terrible. You can be stuck in the traffic for hours. And you just start to think, "Oh well, I want to get out of here."
好。意大利最大的城市是罗马。如你们所知,罗马是一座古老的城市。也正因如此,这座城市建立时还是马匹盛行的时代,当时的人口很少,不像现在有500万人。所以,罗马最大的问题就是交通拥堵。有时,交通状况非常非常糟糕。你可能在路上堵好几个小时。这时,人们就会想:“哦,我想离开这里。”
C: Have you – do you have any kinds of rules or like there's days, specific days where you cannot drive if your sign has this specific number or something like that?
你们有没有特殊的规定,比如在特定的日子里,哪些车牌不能上路行驶之类的?
A: They tried to do that, but the drivers in Rome are really famous. They didn't follow the rules. It's really hard to have a car incident there. They're driving like crazy. They are really stressed out about traffic jam and so they're screaming. They're horning. So it could be stressful.
他们曾试图制定这样的规定,不过罗马司机非常出名。他们根本不遵守这些规定。所以在这里发生交通事故非常麻烦。罗马司机开车非常疯狂。他们对交通拥堵感到焦虑,所以他们会大声喊叫。他们还会一直按喇叭。所以,令人非常有压力。
B: Does the government try to renovate infrastructure of the city?
政府有更新城市的基础设施吗?
A: The problem is like it's really interesting because when they're trying to dig into Rome, they find something, some monuments or something that's from the Roman Empire. And they have to stop everything. So they cannot just destroy, you know, the columns or that they maybe, they find some new houses under the ground, then the...
问题是,他们曾试图在罗马修建地下线路,可是他们在挖掘的过程中发现了遗迹或是来自罗马帝国的文物,所以他们不得不停止挖掘工作。他们不能破坏他们发现的古老石柱等遗迹,他们还在地下发现了一些建筑,还有……
C: Or catacombs.
地下墓穴。
A: Catacombs, yeah. So really, it's – and so this one, it's really difficult to dig into Rome and build new metros for example.
对,地下墓穴。所以很难在罗马修建地下线路和地铁。
C: So maybe for Italy, it would be better to create like a new capital, like political capital like in Brazil where they have Brasilia which was specifically built only for the politicians.
就意大利来说,建造一个新首都更合适,就像巴西那样,巴西利亚是专门为了政治家而建造的政治首都。
A: It will be much better to move the capital of Milan actually. I think that, but it's too much history in Rome to just say, "Oh well, let's move it out somewhere else."
其实将首都迁至米兰会好很多。不过罗马的历史非常悠久,不能简单地说:“嗯,我们把首都迁去其他地方吧”。
B: I mean, I think...
我的意思是……
C: Would you say that urbanization is a problem in Rome that more and more people are coming to Rome from other places? And what would you think is the reason for that?
你认为城市化是罗马面临的问题吗?因为从其他地方前往罗马的人越来越多。你认为导致这种现象的原因是什么?
A: Not really. It was a problem some decades ago, but not now. Not really. If you can avoid the big city, you do. But as we know, the biggest opportunities that you have for work, for everything are in the big cities. So this is the main reason.
不完全是。这是数十年前就已经产生的问题,不是现在出现的新问题。不完全是。如果可以避开大城市,那尽量避开。但是我们知道,大城市拥有最多的工作机会和其他各种机会。所以,这是主要原因。
谈一谈在纽约成长的经历
A: Hey, Antoinette, why don't you tell me about growing up in New York?
嘿,安托万内特,和我谈谈你在纽约的成长经历吧。
B: New York. Warren, why do you want to know about that? Well, growing up in New York was lots of fun. I loved growing up in New York. I couldn't imagine growing up anywhere else.
纽约。沃伦,你为什么想知道这个呢?在纽约成长很有趣。我喜欢在纽约长大。我无法想象在其他地方成长会怎样。
A: Really?
真的吗?
B: Yeah, really. The fun things I did – well, lots of movies to go see but I guess you can see movies anywhere in the US. Anywhere in the world for that matter. I enjoyed being able to go to Lincoln Center for concerts or Carnegie Hall and even play in Carnegie Hall. So I did play in Carnegie Hall.
对,真的。我做了很多有趣的事情,我去电影院看了很多电影,不过我想美国任何地方都可以看电影。就这点而言,世界任何地方都可以办到。我喜欢去林肯中心和卡内基音乐厅看演出,我甚至还在卡内基音乐厅表演过。我真的在卡内基音乐厅表演过。
A: Wow. Well, that's exciting.
哇哦。那真人兴奋。
B: Have you ever been to New York?
你去过纽约吗?
A: I have.
去过。
B: You have.
你去过。
A: Yeah. I've been there twice.
对,我去过纽约两次。
B: Okay. What did you do when you were there?
好。你去纽约哪些地方游玩了?
A: The first time, I was with my mother. I was 12 years old. And we went to Central Park and we saw some museums around Central Park.
我第一次去纽约是和我妈妈一起去的。当时我12岁。我们去了纽约中央公园,我看到纽约中央公园周边有一些博物馆。
B: You didn't go into the museums?
你没进博物馆吗?
A: Yes, we did go into the museums.
进了,我们去博物馆参观了。
B: Oh, okay. Yeah. That's my park, Central Park. How did you find my park? Did you like my park?
哦,好。纽约中央公园是我的公园。你是怎么发现我的公园的?你喜欢我的公园吗?
A: It was great. I was surprised how big it was.
那里非常棒。那里的规模让我非常吃惊。
B: It is a big park. That's what I like about it. You can get lost in the park and almost forget that you're in a city.
那的确是一座大公园。所以我非常喜欢它。在纽约中央公园可能会迷路,几乎会忘掉自己身处城市之中。
A: Yeah. That's what I found really neat about it is sometimes I felt like I was in the countryside. But then I would see large buildings.
是的。我发现那里非常整洁,有时我感觉我好像在乡村。不过我能看到大型建筑。
B: Yes. Yeah, I enjoy that, too. Did you know that you could ride horses in the park?
对,没错。我也很喜欢这点。你知道可以在纽约中央公园骑马吗?
A: No, I didn't.
我不知道。
B: Did you know about the skating rink in the park?
你知道纽约中央公园里有滑冰场吗?
A: Yes. I've seen the skating rink on TV.
我知道,我在电视上看到过那个滑冰场。
B: Okay. What time of year did you go? What season was it?
好。你是什么时候去的?什么季节?
A: I've been there in the summer and in fall but not winter.
我在夏天和秋天去过纽约中央公园,不过没在冬天去过。
B: It's beautiful in any season, I think. I love Central Park.
无论什么季节,那里都很漂亮。我爱纽约中央公园。
A: Yeah, me too. It was very – it was a memorable experience.
我也是。那真的是一次令人难忘的经历。
B: I'm glad to hear that. What other places did you go to?
我很高兴听到你这么说。你还去哪些地方游玩了?
A: Well, when I was older, I went with my friend and we went on top of the Empire State Building.
我长大以后,又和朋友去了纽约,我们登上了帝国大厦顶楼。
B: Okay. I'm not sure if they allow you to go up there now.
好。我不确定现在还让不让上到顶楼了。
A: That was around 2004 that we went.
我们是2004年去的。
B: Okay. Were you able to look over the edge?
好。你能从顶楼往下看吗?
A: I don't know if I was looking over the edge. I think it's inside but you're at the top.
我不确定我有没有往下看。我记得当时我们在里面,不过那的确是顶层。
B: Okay. So yeah, things have changed a bit since I was a little girl.
好。我小的时候去过,看来那里变了。
A: Did it use to be outside that you could go?
之前是能到外面去吗?
B: You could go outside. There were these binoculars or I don't know what they're called but you put a little change in and you could see the city.
可以去外面。外面有双筒望远镜,我不确定是不是这样叫,放些零钱进去,你就可以欣赏纽约的景色。
A: Yeah. They had those as well. Yeah.
嗯。我也看到了那些望远镜。
B: Okay.
好。
A: Yeah. We could see Central Park and you could even see the Statue of Liberty from there.
嗯。用望远镜可以看到纽约中央公园,甚至还能看到自由女神像。
B: Oh well, I've been there.
嗯,我去过那里。
A: Yeah. Actually, I never got to go. Both times I went to New York, we wanted to go to the Statue of Liberty but we didn't have enough time.
嗯,实际上,两次我都没能去自由女神像。我去了纽约两次,每次我们都想去看看自由女神像,可是我们的时间不够。
B: Oh well, you should plan another trip.
哦,你应该再去一次纽约。
A: I'd like to, yeah. Sounds great.
我很想去。听起来太棒了。
你觉得自己具有哪些能力
A: So Abidemi, let's talk about abilities. Can you cook?
阿比德米,我们来谈谈能力。你会做饭吗?
B: Yes, and no. I can cook a little bit, the basic stuff but I really like to eat but I don't experiment too much. So no, I'm not a great cook, but I can cook. I cook to survive. What about you, Rory? Can you cook?
可以说会,也可以说不会。我会做点儿饭,基本的食物我会做,我非常喜欢吃,不过我不经常创新菜式。我不是好厨师,但是我会做饭。我做饭是为了生活下去。你呢,罗瑞?你会做饭吗?
A: Yeah, I can. I really like cooking. I love cooking Italian food. I also love baking. So I can bake cakes and cookies and bread, stuff like that.
我会。我非常喜欢烹饪。我喜欢烹饪意大利美食。我也喜欢烘焙。我可以烘焙蛋糕、饼干和面包等等。
B: Okay.
好。
A: How about singing? Can you sing?
那唱歌呢?你会唱歌吗?
B: I think I can sing. Yes, I enjoy singing. I love singing. I sing a lot in church, so I can sing. What about you? Can you sing?
我认为我会唱。我很喜欢唱歌。我爱唱歌。我经常在教会唱歌,我会唱歌。你呢?你会唱歌吗?
A: I can't sing at all. Like even when I go to karaoke, I'm too embarrassed to pick up the microphone.
我完全不会唱歌。即使去KTV,我也会因为太尴尬而没法拿起麦克唱歌。
B: Oh, it's too bad. What about you,Rory, can you play – okay, can you play an instrument?
哦,那太糟了。那罗瑞,你会演奏乐器吗?
A: I can't. No. I'd love to be able to play an instrument but I can't play anything. How about you? Can you play an instrument?
我不会。我希望我会演奏乐器,可是事实上我完全不会。你呢?你会演奏乐器吗?
B: No, I can't. I really wish that I had learned something when I was younger. But I say I can play my voice. Ha, ha.
我也不会。我非常希望我小时候学过乐器。不过,我可以演奏我的声音,哈哈。
A: That's nice.
这很好。
B: What about juggling? Can you juggle, Rory?
那杂耍呢?罗瑞,你会杂耍吗?
A: Yeah, I can juggle. I can juggle with three balls and I can almost juggle with four.
我会。我会3球杂耍,我还可以做4球杂耍。
B: Wow.
哇哦。
A: Like I can do it for about 10 seconds. Yeah.
我可以坚持10秒钟。
B: I can't juggle at all. So please teach me. It's always something that I've always wanted – I wanted to learn.
我完全不会杂耍。请教教我。我一直想学杂耍。
A: Okay. Can you speak three languages?
好。你会说三种语言吗?
B: Yes. I think I can speak three languages.
对,我可以说三种语言。
A: Which ones?
哪三种?
B: I think English is my best language but I also speak Yoruba, a Nigerian language, and I speak French as well. Yes. And you?
我最擅长的语言是英语,我还会约鲁巴语,这是尼日利亚的一种语言,我也会法语。你呢?
A: Well, I can speak English and I can speak some Czech. I lived in the Czech Republic for six years.
我会英语和捷克语。我在捷克共和国生活了六年。
B: Wow.
哇哦。
A: And I can also speak a little bit of French but it's very rusty.
我还会儿一点儿法语,不过非常生疏。
B: Okay. Maybe next time we'll have this conversation in French then.
好。也许下次我们可以用法语对话。
A: Okay.
好。
来源：教英语音乐的呦呦
