【英语趣味课堂】吉他-Guitar

 Todd: So Tara, I see you've just bought a new guitar.

 

Tara: Yeah, I have, yeah.

 

Todd: Yeah!

 

Tara: It's very nice.

 

Todd: So, what's the reasoning behind buying a guitar?

 

Tara: Well, I work at nights so I have the daytime free, and to be honest, most people they work in the day so I'm often on my own, and I just want something to keep me entertained¹ in the daytime, and I don't really like reading books, so I want something to do with my hands, so I thought buying a guitar is a good idea.

 

Todd: Do you have any kind of music you would like to sing or learn to play?

 

Tara: I'd like to learn, have you heard, there's some English bands, like Cold Play and Turn Break so I'd like to learn that kind of style.

 

Todd: OK. Do you plan to take lessons or just learn on your own?

 

Tara: No, well a couple of my friends, they you know, they can, they learned² guitar as well. I can't really take lessons in Japan. I think that might be a bit too much, but my friends are going to teach me. Hopefully. Yeah!

 

学习内容：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

reasoning behind

 

What's the reasoning behind buying a guitar?

 

When we ask about the 'reasoning behind' something we want to know the motivation or why someone did something.  Notice the following:

 

I don't usually understand the reasoning behind his actions.

What was your reasoning behind quitting your job?

to be honest

 

To be honest, I just want something to keep me entertained.

 

We use the phrase³ 'to be honest' when making a statement⁴ about how we feel that may not be a very popular, happy or nice thing to say. Notice the following:

 

I actually hate this restaurant, to be honest.

To be honest, you should really get a haircut⁵.

on my own

 

I have the daytime free, and I'm often on my own.

 

When we are alone we are 'on our own.' Notice the following:

 

She does her homework on her own every night.

Do you go to restaurants on your own?

take lessons

 

Do you plan to take lessons or just learn on your own?

 

When we 'take lessons' for something we pay someone to teach us how to do something.  Notice the following:

 

Do you plan to take singing lessons?

They took dancing lessons before their wedding.

a bit too much

 

I think taking lessons might be a bit too much.

 

When something is 'a bit too much' it is more work than we can do or too much to manage right now.  Notice the following:

 

I think that coaching soccer would be a bit too much to do.

It is a bit too much to look for another job right now.

 

1 entertained   

v.款待，招待( entertain的过去式和过去分词 )；使欢乐；使娱乐；抱有

参考例句：

• She entertained them by narrating her adventures in Africa. 她讲述她在非洲的历险来使他们开心。
• Fears are entertained that the railway will be blocked by the snow. 人们生怕这场大雪会中断铁路（运输）。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

3 phrase   

n.短语，词组；成语，习语

参考例句：

• The phrase was caught on and immediately became popular.这个短语被采用后很快就流行了。
• That's exactly the phrase I was looking for.这就是我一直找的那个短语。

4 statement   

n.陈述；声明；综述

参考例句：

• The government will put out a new statement tomorrow.政府将于明天发布一项新声明。
• Put down your statement in black and white.把你的话用白纸黑字写下来。

5 haircut   

n.理发，剪发的方式

参考例句：

• Get yourself a haircut!快去理个发吧！
• He is going to have a haircut.他要去理发。