英语博客:A Tour of Homes part 10, the kitchen drawer

Beginners.

We are continuing with our series 'The Tour of Homes', highlighting¹ all the everyday details of life at home. You are probably thinking, "When is she going to be finished with the kitchen?" I think this is the last kitchen episode², at least for now. You also are probably thinking, "We have already heard about drawers in the kitchen." Yes, you are right. However, the phrase 'The kitchen drawer', is actually quite famous. It has become an expression in English speaking nations. The reason is this: there is usually a drawer in any kitchen where junk of all sorts is found. The drawer starts out empty, or, at least quite organized, with just a few things in it. But, as time goes on, more and more bits and pieces appear in it. It is almost a mystery how things get there. When I am busy in the kitchen, and I find things that don't belong there, I automatically⁴ put them in the kitchen drawer. Small toys that my children leave in the kitchen, receipts⁵ from work, coupons⁶, spare keys, all these things can be found in there and more. One of the books that I have that helps people get organized, talks about the kitchen drawer. It says that every now and then, that spot of the kitchen needs to be examined and organized. Most things inside it need to be thrown away, and the things that are left should be put in groups so they are easy to find. In superstores, you can even find 'kitchen drawer organizers'. It's part of the culture now.

Grammar notes.

Common expressions: bits and pieces, all sorts of/ all kinds of, every now and then.

Exs:

My handbag is full of bits and pieces. I don't know if any of these things are worth keeping.

The bakery had all sorts of miniature⁷ tarts³! OR The bakery had all kinds of miniature tarts!

Every now and then my friend will come and visit, and we will talk about our college days.

Advanced.

Oh my, when I decided⁸ to write about the kitchen drawer, I cringed inside. I knew that I had to take a photo of mine, and I had the feeling that it would be bad. It was worse than I expected. The only reason I have opened it recently, is to chuck in a few more unwanted items. It has certainly been neglected⁹. When I walk around Walmart, a large superstore that is very close to my house, I feel a little guilty when I walk past the shelf of drawer organizers. You know what they look like: rectangular¹⁰ wooden or plastic inserts that have different compartments¹¹ for all the different sized objects. Maybe one day I will buy one. Some of the things we have in the kitchen drawer are important, or at least, useful, so they are worth keeping in there. It's just difficult to throw things away sometimes. Don't you find that when you do, a few days later, you need what you just threw away? Am I making excuses? Perhaps I could have a goal of spending five minutes a week sorting out the drawer. Let me have a quick look and see what has accumulated¹²: pencils, tape measures, hair bands, bits of shells, a plastic Pez candy container, some screws¹³, some keys, and a variety of coupons and books. Hmm, that's not too bad. I suppose I could put the coupons together in a zip-lock bag. I could also have the stationary¹⁴ and pens, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners in one area for easy access. And then the keys; throw away the ones we don't use, and hang up the important ones somewhere safe. There, that looks much better. The process wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. The kitchen drawer looks much better now. Next time I won't leave it as long.

Grammar notes.

Vocabulary: to cringe, to chuck/ throw, an insert, a zip-lock bag.  And practice of the future tense.

Exs:

I cringe when I think of singing in front of the school.

Chuck all of the garbage away! I'm tired of seeing it.

I need to buy inserts for my shoes to make them more comfortable.

I put the kids' sandwiches in zip-lock bags to keep them fresh.

Future:

Will you be coming to dinner tonight?

He won't enjoy the ballet. It's not the sort of thing he likes.

We will order pizza tonight, but tomorrow I will make roast beef.

The furniture will arrive in three days, so I'm going to get the room ready.

We're going to buy the  house and fix it up. Then we will sell it.

Isn't he going to call you?

 

1 highlighting   

v.强调( highlight的现在分词 )；将（文本的某部份）用彩笔做标记；将（计算机屏幕的某区域）增强亮度；使醒目

参考例句：

• Matches flared,momentarily highlighting the faces. 火柴着了，发出的光芒把众人的脸照亮了片刻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Highlighting the changes between HTML pages in internet and archive. 突出的变化之间的html网页，在互联网上和资料馆。 来自互联网

2 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

3 tarts   

n.果馅饼( tart的名词复数 )；轻佻的女人；妓女；小妞

参考例句：

• I decided to make some tarts for tea. 我决定做些吃茶点时吃的果馅饼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They ate raspberry tarts and ice cream. 大家吃着木莓馅饼和冰淇淋。 来自辞典例句

4 automatically   

adv.不加思索地，无意识地，自动地

参考例句：

• The machine cycles automatically.这台机器自动循环运转。
• She had automatically labelled the boys as troublemakers.她不假思索地认定这些男孩子是捣蛋鬼。

5 receipts   

（企业、银行等）收到的款，进款； 收到( receipt的名词复数 )； 收入； 收据； 收条

参考例句：

• Cash income is calculated by subtracting total trading income from total receipts. 现金收入是从总收入中减去总贸易收入来计算的。
• The receipts have increased since last year. 自去年起收入已增加。

6 coupons   

n.礼券( coupon的名词复数 )；优惠券；订货单；参赛表

参考例句：

• The company gives away free coupons for drinks or other items. 公司为饮料或其它项目发放免费赠券。 来自辞典例句
• Do you have any coupons? 你们有优惠卡吗？ 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

7 miniature   

adj.小型的，微小的；n.微小的模型，微型画

参考例句：

• He's giving a party in miniature on his birthday.他生日那天将举行一个小型晚会。
• Games are real life in miniature.游戏是现实生活的缩影。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 neglected   

a.被忽视的

参考例句：

• neglected children suffering from social deprivation 遭社会遗弃无人照管的孩子
• a neglected area of research 被人忽略了的研究领域

10 rectangular   

adj.矩形的，成直角的

参考例句：

• He put a rectangular box on the table.他把一个长方形的箱子放在桌子上。
• The equations are written in rectangular coordinates.这些方程是在直角座标系中写出的。

11 compartments   

n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层

参考例句：

• Your pencil box has several compartments. 你的铅笔盒有好几个格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The first-class compartments are in front. 头等车室在前头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 accumulated   

adj. 累积的 动词accumulate的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• I seem to have accumulated a lot of books. 我好像已经收集了很多书。
• All his accumulated nervous agitation was discharged on Maud like a thunderbolt. 他那蓄积已久的怒气，就像雷电般倾泻在莫德身上。

13 screws   

n.螺丝钉( screw的名词复数 )；螺旋桨；监狱看守；性交对象v.用螺丝拧紧( screw的第三人称单数 )；拧上去；（和某人）性交；诈骗（钱财等）

参考例句：

• One of the screws is loose. 有一颗螺丝松了。
• The handle of this door is kept by two screws. 这扇门的把手用两枚螺丝钉固定。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 stationary   

adj.固定的，静止不动的

参考例句：

• A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
• Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。