NCE-2 40 Food and talk

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Lesson 40 Food and talk 进餐与交谈

Last week at a dinner-party, the hostess asked me to sit next to Mrs Rumbold. Mrs Rumbold was a large, unsmiling lady in a tight black dress. She did not even look up when I took my seat beside her. Her eyes were fixed on her plate and in a short time, she was busy eating. I tried to make conversation.
' A new play is coming to" The Globe" soon,' I said. 'Will you be seeing it ?' ' No,' she answered. 'Will you be spending your holidays abroad this year ?' I asked. ' No,' she answered.
' Will you be staying in England?' I asked. ' No,' she answered.
In despair, I asked her whether she was enjoying her dinner.
' Young man,' she answered,' if you ate more and talked less, we would both enjoy our dinner !'

在上星期的一次宴会上，女主人安排我坐在兰伯尔德夫人的身旁。兰伯尔德夫人是一位身材高大、表情严肃的女人，穿一件紧身的黑衣服。当我在她身旁坐下来的时候，她甚至连头都没有抬一下。她的眼睛盯着自己的盘子，不一会儿就忙着吃起来了。我试图找个话题和她聊聊。
“一出新剧要来‘环球剧场’上演了，”我说，“您去看吗？”
“不，”她回答。
“您今年去国外度假吗？”我又问。
“不，”她回答。
“您就呆在英国吗？”我问。
“不，”她回答。
失望之中我问她饭是否吃得满意。
“年轻人，”她回答说，“如果你多吃点，少说点，我们两个都会吃得好的！”

• at a party 在聚会上
• next 紧挨着
  • She sat down next to him on the sofa.
  • sit next to the window
  • a really strange man standing next to me
• tight 紧身的
  • tight top 紧身上衣 [非正式]
  • tight jeans
• look up [NCE2-15 也有look up] 视线从n离开, 这里的n暗指her plate
• take a seat = sit down
• eyes be fixed on / fix eyes on (目光)专注于，凝视 look at them with complete attention.
• in a short time
  • in 一段时间之后
• make conversation: 出于礼貌, 非自愿想聊天地搭话 talk to sb in order to be polite
  • try to make conversation
• 影片或话剧要上映 sth be coming to "影院"
• despair 绝望 everything is wrong and nothing will improve
  • v. despair at/over/about sth
  • n. in despair over/about/at sth | a mood/sense of despair
  • n. to sb's depair | drive sb to depair

From Rumbold's View:

At a party last week, I was busy eating. An impolite young man was arranged to sit next to me. He was so boring that he asked me many many uninteresting questions. He asked me whether I would be seeing the new play and whether I would be spending my holidays abroad and whether I would be staying in England. None was of his business! In order to be polite, I replied "No" to his every question. But his action affected my mood of having a delicious meal. I told him that if he ate more and talked less then we would both have a good meal as he asked how I liked the meal.

Knowledges

• affect / influence / effect
  • affect = influence sb / sth or caused them to change
  • influence = make them agree with you or do what you want
  • effect n. make a big effect on

From The Hostess's View:

Last week, I hold a party at my new house and I invited many friends to come. Mrs. Rumbold, the large unsmiling woman in a tight black dress, was my colleague 'in office'[=> ]. She was interested in nothing except the food and had fixed her eyes on her plate and had been busy eating since the party began. Mr. Henry, the tall, thin man in a brown jack, was my former classmate. He was polite and loved to make new friends. He always tried to make conversion with Mrs. Rumbold but always failed. Because his action disturbed Mr. Rumbold''s mood of eating'[=> '']. At last, Mrs. Rumbold told Mr. Henry that if he ate more and talked less and they would both enjoy the meal. How funny they were!

Knowledges

• in office 在任职 be in office = hold office
• make a friend / enemy
• disturb sb

Remembers

• despair 绝望 everything is wrong and nothing will improve
  • v. despair at/over/about sth
  • n. in despair over/about/at sth | a mood/sense of despair
  • n. to sb's depair | drive sb to depair

任务时间: 2017-01-22
(作文时间: 2017-01-23, 耗时: 100 分钟)

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