英语博客：Teddy For You, Teddy For Me

 　　It's been a rough couple of weeks(1). My three boys have had the flu, and one of them has had two different kinds. As a mother, I try to do all that I can to make them comfortable: medicine, liquids, blankets, and peace and quiet(2). I try to give them some extra attention, if they want it. At times(3) I have taken their temperatures, asked them how they feel, felt their foreheads, and given them popsicles(4) for their sore throats. Sometimes, however, they have wanted to be left alone(5). I can understand that. As a mother, you have to become a judge of who will want what and when(6). My daughter gave me a good suggestion today, to help Robert feel better: buy him a teddy. He is ten years old, almost too 'cool' to have teddies, but not quite. And, of course, there are teddies and teddies(7). The one she chose for him is a gorilla¹ with a tie and a big smile. That's perfect for an 'almost too cool boy'. It's soft, cuddly²(8), and funny, but it's also masculine³ looking, and it goes well with his giant soft lion that he uses as a pillow. It was a good idea, I told Domini. It's a little, soft creature that wishes him well, with a huge smile to make him feel better.

　　1. 'A rough couple of weeks'. 'Rough' is a common word to describe a length of time that has been difficult.

　　a. This week has been rough at work.

　　b. The two years after the divorce were very rough.

　　2. 'Peace and quiet' is a set phrase that is used in both England and the U.S. The meaning is self-explanatory, but it should be noted⁴ that they often, automatically⁵ go together.

　　a. After a noisy week, I really need peace and quiet at the weekend.

　　b. When you have the flu, you need medicine, liquids, rest, and peace and quiet.

　　3. 'At times' is the same as saying 'sometimes', though it can indicate less occasions than 'sometimes'.

　　a. At times he looks happy, but then at other times he looks sad.

　　b. At times I really don't know if he is joking or not.

　　4. 'Popsicle' is like a cross between 'pop' and 'icicle'. It is a frozen⁶ lollipop⁷, and comes in many different flavors and shapes.

　　a. In the Summer we always fill the freezer with popsicles.

　　b. Popsicles can help a sore throat feel better.

　　5. To be 'left alone' often goes with the word 'want', or it is phrased to show that the person desires to be alone. 'Left' indicates other people letting go, or permitting.

　　a. I just want to be left alone.

　　b. I'm sure he'll calm down if you leave him alone/ if he's left alone.

　　6. 'Who will want what and when' is an example of a string of interrogatives. Because I have already mentioned the medicines, blankets, liquids etc and the boys, I don't need to repeat these nouns. The sentence that is full of interrogatives is simply referring back to those nouns.

　　a. We have ham, cheese, salad, soup, and cake for everyone. Anyone can help themselves to what they want, when they want it.

　　b. I don't know why, when, or how this mess was made; I just want it cleaned up!

　　7. 'There are teddies and teddies' echoes⁸ a similar sentence that I discussed in a previous podcast. This sentence format⁹ is comparing equal things, but it implies that they are not equal. Some teddies are better than others.

　　a. We saw the musical Les Miserable¹⁰. Of course there are musicals and there are musicals, but that's one of the best.

　　b. I wish you didn't buy that cheap ham. It's not all the same you know. There's ham and then there's ham.

　　8. 'Cuddly' is one of my favorite words. It means something that is easy to hug, perhaps even built to hug.

　　a. That homemade pillow is so cuddly; I could just hug it all day.

　　b. When our cat is sleepy, she is so cuddly.

　　You're all welcome to join me on my FACEBOOK page at Anna Fromacupofenglish. I will email you a reply if you write to me at [email protected] to send me your questions or comments.

1 gorilla   

n.大猩猩，暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• I was awed by the huge gorilla.那只大猩猩使我惊惧。
• A gorilla is just a speechless animal.猩猩只不过是一种不会说话的动物。

2 cuddly   

adj.抱着很舒服的，可爱的

参考例句：

• The beautiful crib from Mom and Dad is so cuddly.爸爸妈妈送的漂亮婴儿床真舒服。
• You can't call a hedgehog cuddly.你不能说刺猬逗人喜爱。

3 masculine   

adj.男性的，男子的，男子气的

参考例句：

• She has a rather masculine voice.她的声音有点男性化。
• The ceremony is exclusively masculine.典礼上清一色的全是男人。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 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。

6 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

7 lollipop   

n.棒棒糖

参考例句：

• The child put out his tongue and licked his lollipop.那孩子伸出舌头舔着棒棒糖。
• I ate popcorn,banana and lollipop.我吃了爆米花、香蕉和棒棒糖。

8 echoes   

回声，共鸣( echo的名词复数 )； （言语、作风、思想等的）重复； 重复者； [无线电]回波

参考例句：

• The sound echoes back from the walls. 这声音从墙壁发出回声。
• I could hear the echoes in this temple. 我在这座庙里能听到回声。

9 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

10 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。