英语博客(A cup of English):Museum face

Beginners.

This summer, my brother has come to visit from New Zealand. We are having such a fantastic time together. He is wonderful person, and also a complete goofball! That is an american expression for a person who jokes and fools about. He has a very dry sense of humor, but he can also make children laugh very easily. When we went to Lake Roosevelt recently, he travelled in the car with us. We chatted away, observed the countryside, talked about old times, and stopped a few times on the way to stretch our legs and have a drink. My children are not really used to travelling in the car for three hours at a time, and the car was really packed with luggage and beach equipment, so they got 'squirmy' as they say here. You know how a worm wiggles when it is uncovered, well that is squirming. They started to bicker¹ and argue until it became unbearable². Well, my brother sprang into creative action. He taught the kids in a few seconds about pulling a 'museum face'. They each had to act like a statue, but a very wierd, ugly one. It instantly made them laugh and stop bickering³. Fantastic! I just had to write a podcast about the museum face to help my podlisteners who have children. That's my excuse. Check out my brother's museum face; it is utterly⁴ goofy. Hey, this is my podcast after all. I can't be professional all the time. Enjoy the photo!

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: to pull a face, goofy, old times, to bicker, to squirm.

Exs:

My children were pulling the most awful faces infront of the mirror.

That man is so goofy! He does the strangest things and makes us all laugh.

It was great to see my friend from college, and to talk about old times.

I wish that couple would stop bickering. They argue senselessly!

The worm squirmed until I put it back under the earth.

Advanced.

Sometimes driving in the car with the kids is quite difficult. Any of you who have children will probably understand. At times my kids will drive me completely crazy. They fight in the car, or rather bicker. Bickering, in my opinion, is far worse than an all out fight. "Mum, he's looking out of my window!", "Mum, his leg is touching⁵ mine!", "Mum, he said that I'm ugly!", "No I didn't!", "Yes you did!" And it goes on and on. If I was a robot, and always responded the same way to their bickering, perhaps it would stop. If I would consistently talk reason to them and convince them that it is better to stay quiet, or work things out together, then bickering might become a thing of the past. The trouble is, I'm not a robot. I'm an emotional human being who sometimes acts differently from one day to the next. Sometimes my response is an easy, " If you are all quiet, I will buy you a candy." Or, I get the guns out, "I'll tell Dad about you being naughty in the car," or "Don't even think about having a play date with your friend if you're acting⁶ like that!" I have a catalogue of responses which vary in effectiveness. One thing I've found, though, that truly helps, is having help from another adult, especially if that adult is imaginative. My brother's museum face is a wonderful solution to the kids' bickering. It distracts them, it cheers them up, and it brings out their goofiness. If you see my brother's photo on my blogpage, you will understand that goofiness is definitely an inherited thing.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: to convince, to inherit, naughty.

Exs:

I am convinced that we should go on vacation for at least a month.

When my grandmother passed away, I inherited a silver tea set.

That boy is so naughty! He broke a chair, and then smashed a window!

 

1 bicker   

vi.(为小事)吵嘴，争吵

参考例句：

• The two children used to bicker about who should do the washing-up.这两个小孩子过去常为该由谁洗餐具一事而争吵。
• They always bicker when they meet at school.在学校见面时他们总是争吵。

2 unbearable   

adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的

参考例句：

• It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
• The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。

3 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

5 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。