英语博客:A treat from England

My husband recently returned from a business trip to Germany and England. It is an annual visit that he makes to attend a large, international fruit convention¹. He spends most of his time in Berlin, and then finishes his trip in London. He loves that city. When he is there, he always calls me and tells me that he is enjoying his wife's 'old stomping² ground'. That means a place either that you grew up in, or that was very significant for you. When he comes home, he always brings treats from London. Usually he will bring three or four kinds of chocolates: Smarties, Maltesers, Galaxay, and Toblerone. My favorite is Maltesers. When I see the red bag and feel the chocolates inside, it takes me back to my childhood. You know how a certain smell, or sight can have you feeling like a child again; that's what happens when I am around Maltesers. It just shows how significant our formative years are; how memories from that time become engraved³ in our brains and hearts. There is a certain smell that also brings the same nostalgia⁴ to me. It is the smell of a child's play dough⁵ that is called Plasticine. Since I have lived here, I haven't encountered that smell at all. But sometimes when I visit England, and I am, let's say, in a toy shop, I  might walk past some children's art supplies and smell that smell. Oh bliss⁶! I get transported back to the days of pig tails and tricycles. It would be interesting to hear from some of you listeners which elements of your culture bring up those nostalgic feelings. If you E-mail me and let me know, I will do a podcast dedicated⁷ to just that.

Grammar notes.

Vocabulary practice: bliss, annual, significant, let's say.

1. That chocolate cake is so good; it is pure bliss!

2. All the local gardeners are preparing for the annual vegetable competition.

3. The rainfall has caused a significant rise in the height of the river.

4. I'm not sure how much that house is worth; it might be, let's say, three hundred thousand.

 

1 convention   

n.惯例，习俗，常规，会议，大会

参考例句：

• How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到？
• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。

2 stomping   

v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He looked funny stomping round the dance floor. 他在舞池里跺着舞步，样子很可笑。 来自辞典例句
• Chelsea substitution Wright-Phillips for Robben. Wrighty back on his old stomping to a mixed reception. 77分–切尔西换人：赖特．菲利普斯入替罗本。小赖特在主场球迷混杂的欢迎下，重返他的老地方。 来自互联网

3 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。

5 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

6 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

7 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。