Thanksgiving Party 感恩節聚會

Dialogue 1

Sam: Wow, looks like we made it just in time. It’s packed in there.

Jenny: Yeah, people always buy out the stores before the big holidays.

Sam: Here’re the turkeys. How big of a bird did you want to get?

Jenny: Well, we’ve got about ten people coming to dinner. So the bigger, the better.

Sam: All right, this one;s the biggest. Are we ready to check out?

Jenny: Not so fast, big guy. We haven’t even started! I need everything on the list.

Sam: Uh, can I wait in the car?

(Hours later)

Sam: Jenny, this is the fifth store we’ve been to!

Jenny: I know, but I have to get just the right ingredients. Otherwise, things will taste wrong.

Sam: Do you always make such a big deal out of Thanksgiving?

Jenny: No, in fact, this will be my first turkey dinner. But the idea behind the holiday is a good one.

Sam: You mean about the Indians and the Pilgrims helping one another?

Jenny: Hah! No, not really. But the whole idea of giving thanks, for the things you have, the people who have helped you...

講解：

1. 對話中，Jenny 和Sam在為感恩節大餐購物。他們來到了商店之后呢，發現人非常的多。 Sam說looks like we made it just in time. It’s packed in there. 這里，make it，表示“趕上”，那么we made it just in time，就是“我們來得正是時候”。make it，還可以表示“做成某事，成功”，例如：Come on, you can make it! 來吧，你一定能成功。

2. packed，這里表示“擁擠的”。動詞pack是收拾行李的意思，也就是把東西都擠在箱子里，那packed 表示“擁擠的”就很形象。每逢有重大的節日，人們都會買很多過節用的東西，包括食品，服裝等等，很多商店都被搶購一空。Jenny說people always buy out the stores before the big holidays. 這里buy out就是把商店的東西買光，搶購一空的意思。big holidays，就是像Thanksgiving， Christmas這樣全國性的重大節日。

3. Sam和Jenny想買一只火雞，也就是turkey，想要多大的火雞呢?How big of a bird did you want to get? bird，這里指“家禽”，尤指雞或火雞，用作食物，例如：Put the bird in the oven. 把雞放到烤箱里。bird作為俚語還指“人”，尤指奇怪或非凡的人物，比如說，He is a sly old bird. 他是個老滑頭。關于bird還有一個成語，就是Kill 2 birds with one stone，一舉兩得，一箭雙雕。

4. Jenny說因為差不多有10個人來吃飯，所以火雞越大越好，So the bigger, the better. 兩個形容詞的比較級形式放在一起來用，表示“越…，就越…”，但是不要忘了在比較級形式前加上定冠詞the，例如：The more, the better. 越多越好，多多益善。The more you speak, the more mistakes you’ll make. 說的越多，錯的越多。

5. Sam挑了一只最大的火雞，問Jenny現在可不可以去結賬了。在商店里結賬，用check out。Jenny說還差得遠呢，東西還沒有買全。big guy，這里是指Sam。Sam耐煩了，說Can I wait in the car?我能在車里等嗎?看來Jenny也是一個購物狂啊。

6. 是呀，轉眼幾個小時過去了，他們已經來到了第五家商店，this is the fifth store we’ve been to! 看來Sam已經累的不行了。但是Jenny堅持說，I have to get just the right ingredients. Otherwise, things will taste wrong. 我一定要買到正確的材料，要不然，做出來的東西味道就不對了。

7. ingredient，(烹調的)配料。taste這個詞可以當系動詞用，表示“嘗起來…味道….”，例如：It tastes good/ bad. 味道很好/不好。還可以跟like連用，表示“嘗起來有…的味道”，It tastes like soap.吃起來味道跟肥皂一樣。smell這個詞也可以這樣用，例如：It smells good/bad.好聞。/不好聞。

8. Sam問Do you always make such a big deal out of Thanksgiving? 你總是為感恩節這樣大費周張嗎?make a big deal out of something，小題大作。big deal在口語中表示“重要的事情”。比如說：It’s no big deal. 這沒有什么大不了的。

9. Jenny說實際上這是她做的第一頓感恩節大餐，這里的turkey dinner就是指“感恩節大餐”，因為turkey是感恩節菜譜中的主菜。But the idea behind the holiday is a good one. 但是節日背后的概念不錯。那這個idea是指什么呢?

10. Jenny解釋說the whole idea of giving thanks, for the things you have, the people who have helped you...這個概念就是為你所擁有的東西表示感謝，向那些幫助過你的人表 達謝意。