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May: Look! Someone is celebrating his birthday.
Jimmy: This must be his 21st birthday. No doubt about it.
May: Why? Do you know that guy?
Jimmy: No. Well, in America, 21 is the age when you’re allowed to drink. So, many guys celebrate it in bars.
May: That’s interesting. But it would be really expensive, I suppose. Just think about all the drinks.
Jimmy: No. If it’s your birthday, then you don’t need to pay a cent. Just blow out the candles and open the gifts. That makes the birthday a special day. Your friends will take care of everything.
May: Wow. That’s wonderful.
Jimmy: What about in China? What’d you do to celebrate your birthday?
May: Nowadays, it’s no difference from America. But in old times, we have traditional ways to celebrate it.
Jimmy: Oh, really? Anything special?
May: Mother would cook "long-lived" noodles. And for old people, we’ll prepare Longevity Peaches. Just for blessing.
Jimmy: Wow, Longevity Peaches! What’s that? Real peach?
May: No. They are made of wheat flour and they look just like real peaches.
Jimmy: Why peach? Is there any interesting tale behind it?
May: Yes. The Goddess is said to own some magical peach trees in heaven. If you eat peaches grown on those trees, you will never die.
Jimmy: Oh, I know that. The Monkey King once stole a lot of them, which pissed the Goddess off. Cool!
听看学
阿美: 看!有人在庆祝生日。
吉米: 这一定是他21岁的生日。毫无疑问。
阿美: 为什么?你认识那个人吗?
吉米: 不认识。不过，在美国，你要到21岁才可以喝酒。所以，有很多男孩子来酒吧庆祝他们21岁的生日。
阿美: 挺有趣的。不过我猜那一定很贵。光想想那些饮料就知道了。
吉米: 不是的。如果是你的生日，你就不用花一分钱。只要吹生日蜡烛，收礼物就可以了。那才能叫过生日啊。你的朋友会把一切都张罗好的。
阿美: 哇，那太棒了。
吉米: 在中国怎么样啊?你们是怎样庆祝生日的呢?
阿美: 现在和美国没什么差别。但在以前，我们用传统的方式来庆祝生日。
吉米: 哦，真的吗?有什么特别的吗?
阿美: 妈妈会煮“长寿面”。如果是给老人过生日，就要准备寿桃。都是用来祝福的。
吉米: 哇，寿桃。那是什么啊?是真的桃子吗?
阿美: 不是的。它们是用麦粉做的，不过看起来就跟真的桃子一样。
吉米: 为什么是桃子呢?这里面有什么有趣的传说吗?
阿美: 有啊。传说王母娘娘在天上有一些神奇的桃树。如果你吃了那些桃树上结出的桃子，你就能长生不死。
吉米: 哦，我知道这故事。美猴王有一次偷了一些，把王母娘娘给惹怒了。真好玩!
经典背诵 Recitation
Jimmy: Well, in America, 21 is the age when you’re allowed to drink. So, many guys celebrate it at bars. Today I went to a bar with a Chinese girl named May. It happened that someone was celebrating his 21st birthday there. So I told her about it. I also told her that if it was your birthday, then you didn’t need to pay a cent. Your friends would take care of everything. Then she told me about how Chinese people celebrated their birthdays. It was quite interesting.
生词小结
blow out 吹灭
long-lived adj. 长寿的
longevity n. 长寿
flour n. 面粉
goddess n. 女神
piss off 使恼火
语素 Material
Party Food
The main thing about party food is, it has to be simple, tasty and, of course, non-drip. Some of the old classics are difficult to beat, such as cheese and pineapple on a stick. The simplest things done well are most likely to impress your guests, and it’s an easy way to get out of a hard slog in the kitchen. Moreover, great parties begin with a little party food planning. So don’t forget to make one, because preparation is the key to a good party.
派对食物
派对食物最重要的就在于简单、美味，当然还不能掉汁。一些常见的经典食物永远都不会过时，比如奶酪和菠萝串。制作精美、简单的食物最有可能给客人留下深刻的印象，而且这也是逃脱在厨房辛苦工作的简单方法。此外，完美的派对要从计划派对食物开始。所以，别忘了做一个计划，因为事先准备是办好派对的关键。
Party Tricks
Party tricks are the key to amaze others at a party in a western country. Most of these party tricks are simple but fun, and people are proud of their unique tricks which they’d love to show off. People believe that party tricks show one’s talent, and also cool “party tricks” make you control others’ thoughts and actions. So many people spend a lot of time learning new party tricks.
派对戏法
在西方国家，派对戏法是在派对上给他人惊喜的法宝。大多数派对戏法简单而有趣。人们热衷于展示自己独特的戏法，并引以为豪。人们认为派对戏法能够展示一个人的才华，而且出奇的派对戏法可以让你掌控别人的想法和行为。因此有很多人花很多时间学习新的派对戏法。
