英语博客：Skype With Me.

 　　"I really need to speak English with a native." "Could I practice with you?" "Do you ever Skype?" These are comments and questions that I have received over the years. I've been thinking about Skyping English lessons. I even have a Skype address ready. I must admit(1), even though I love to teach, I am a bit nervous. So far, I have been a teacher without a face, invisible¹, anonymous². I'll have to look my best(2) if my students are going to see me. And then there is the question of when(3). We are 8 hours behind London time, so arranging when to Skype with my international listeners will be work. For example, if a person in Beijing wanted to Skype at 1pm, it would be 10 o'clock at night for me. If I wanted to Skype at 10am, it would be 1am the next day in Beijing. Careful arrangements(4) would have to be made. But it would be worth it. I'm excited to meet some of my listeners face to face, and watch them on their journey to fluency³. My only question is: should I remain a woman of mystery, and wear a paper bag over my head? That way if I get too famous, the paparazzi won't bother(5) me.....

　　1. 'I must admit' is the same as 'I must confess⁴' but it sounds more 'every day'.

　　a. I know he worked really hard on the play, but I must admit, I didn't like it.

　　b. I've played chess for years, and I must admit that I still get very competitive⁵.

　　2. 'To look one's best' is to put on your best appearance.

　　a. At the wedding he looked his  best.

　　b. You must make an effort when your grandmother visits us and look your best.

　　3. 'And then there is the question of + interrogative/noun' is a shorter and less repetitive way of saying 'And then there is the question of when we should Skype.' This kind of sentence is usually used during planning.

　　a. And then there is the question of a car. When and where will we hire it?

　　b. Everyone will arrive at the house in the evening. But then there's the question of beds. Where will they all sleep?

　　c. We'll ask someone to do the speech. But then there's the question of who?

　　4. Arrangements

　　Arr-ange-ments    arr-ange-ments   arr-ange-ments   arr-ange-ments.

　　5. 'The paparazzi won't bother me' could be expressed as 'the paparazzi won't disturb me/won't intrude⁶ in my life'.

　　a. He really bothered me when he asked me all of those questions.

　　b. Does this music bother you?

　　c. You kids are bothering your grandpa; let him nap⁷ in peace.

　　You're all invited to join me on my FACEBOOK page at Anna Fromacupofenglish. Remember my app is available in iTunes called A Cup Of English. If you're interested in some Skyped lessons with me, I will be posting the hours and days that I'm available on my Facebook page.

1 invisible   

adj.看不见的，无形的

参考例句：

• The air is full of millions of invisible germs.空气中充满了许多看不见的细菌。
• Many stars are invisible without a telescope.许多星辰不用望远镜便看不见。

2 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

3 fluency   

n.流畅，雄辩，善辩

参考例句：

• More practice will make you speak with greater fluency.多练习就可以使你的口语更流利。
• Some young children achieve great fluency in their reading.一些孩子小小年纪阅读已经非常流畅。

4 confess   

vt.承认，坦白；vi.承认，坦白，忏悔

参考例句：

• Many Christians regularly confess their guilty actions and thoughts to a priest.很多基督徒都定期向牧师忏悔他们的罪行和恶念。
• I confess to some suspicion of your honesty.我承认对你的诚实有所怀疑。

5 competitive   

adj.竞争的，比赛的，好竞争的，有竞争力的

参考例句：

• Some kinds of business are competitive.有些商业是要竞争的。
• These businessmen are both competitive and honourable.这些商人既有竞争性又很诚实。

6 intrude   

vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰

参考例句：

• I do not want to intrude if you are busy.如果你忙我就不打扰你了。
• I don't want to intrude on your meeting.我不想打扰你们的会议。

7 nap   

n.(白天)打瞌睡，打盹

参考例句：

• The nap of the coat has been worn off.外衣上的绒毛已经磨掉了。
• Don't bother me while I am taking my nap.我小睡的时候不要打扰我。