Thanksgiving Party 感恩节聚会

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...

讲解：

1. 对话中，Jenny 和Sam在为感恩节大餐购物。他们来到了商店之后呢，发现人非常的多。 Sam说looks like we made it just in time. It’s packed in there. 这里，make it，表示“赶上”，那么we made it just in time，就是“我们来得正是时候”。make it，还可以表示“做成某事，成功”，例如：Come on, you can make it! 来吧，你一定能成功。

2. packed，这里表示“拥挤的”。动词pack是收拾行李的意思，也就是把东西都挤在箱子里，那packed 表示“拥挤的”就很形象。每逢有重大的节日，人们都会买很多过节用的东西，包括食品，服装等等，很多商店都被抢购一空。Jenny说people always buy out the stores before the big holidays. 这里buy out就是把商店的东西买光，抢购一空的意思。big holidays，就是像Thanksgiving， Christmas这样全国性的重大节日。

3. Sam和Jenny想买一只火鸡，也就是turkey，想要多大的火鸡呢?How big of a bird did you want to get? bird，这里指“家禽”，尤指鸡或火鸡，用作食物，例如：Put the bird in the oven. 把鸡放到烤箱里。bird作为俚语还指“人”，尤指奇怪或非凡的人物，比如说，He is a sly old bird. 他是个老滑头。关于bird还有一个成语，就是Kill 2 birds with one stone，一举两得，一箭双雕。

4. Jenny说因为差不多有10个人来吃饭，所以火鸡越大越好，So the bigger, the better. 两个形容词的比较级形式放在一起来用，表示“越…，就越…”，但是不要忘了在比较级形式前加上定冠词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. 说的越多，错的越多。

5. Sam挑了一只最大的火鸡，问Jenny现在可不可以去结账了。在商店里结账，用check out。Jenny说还差得远呢，东西还没有买全。big guy，这里是指Sam。Sam耐烦了，说Can I wait in the car?我能在车里等吗?看来Jenny也是一个购物狂啊。

6. 是呀，转眼几个小时过去了，他们已经来到了第五家商店，this is the fifth store we’ve been to! 看来Sam已经累的不行了。但是Jenny坚持说，I have to get just the right ingredients. Otherwise, things will taste wrong. 我一定要买到正确的材料，要不然，做出来的东西味道就不对了。

7. ingredient，(烹调的)配料。taste这个词可以当系动词用，表示“尝起来…味道….”，例如：It tastes good/ bad. 味道很好/不好。还可以跟like连用，表示“尝起来有…的味道”，It tastes like soap.吃起来味道跟肥皂一样。smell这个词也可以这样用，例如：It smells good/bad.好闻。/不好闻。

8. Sam问Do you always make such a big deal out of Thanksgiving? 你总是为感恩节这样大费周张吗?make a big deal out of something，小题大作。big deal在口语中表示“重要的事情”。比如说：It’s no big deal. 这没有什么大不了的。

9. Jenny说实际上这是她做的第一顿感恩节大餐，这里的turkey dinner就是指“感恩节大餐”，因为turkey是感恩节菜谱中的主菜。But the idea behind the holiday is a good one. 但是节日背后的概念不错。那这个idea是指什么呢?

10. Jenny解释说the whole idea of giving thanks, for the things you have, the people who have helped you...这个概念就是为你所拥有的东西表示感谢，向那些帮助过你的人表 达谢意。