【英语趣味课堂】擅长的方面-Good at Something

 Todd: Norm¹, do you like to sing?

 

Norm: I wish I could sing, but no, I don't sing.

 

Todd: Yeah, OK. Neither do I. Do you like dancing?

 

Norm: Yes, I do.

 

Todd: OK. Uh..what kind of dancing do you like?

 

Norm: Oh, just not ballroom² dancing, but just the ordinary³ one, you know, the just kind of just normal...nothing special.

 

Todd: Nothing special, no. OK. Do you like to cook?

 

Norm: Yes, I do.

 

Todd: OK. What, what do you like to cook?

 

Norm: I like to cook vegetables, yeah. Vegetables! OK.

 

Todd: And do you like to exercise?

 

Norm: Very much so I go, I used⁴ to go to the gym three times a week before I arrived in Tokyo.

 

Todd: OK.

 

Norm: Yeah, I used to go to a gym, but now I just run.

 

Todd: Last one! do you like to clean?

 

Norm: I like a clean place, but I don't really like to clean, no!  

 

学习内容：

 

Learn Vocabulary⁵ from the lesson

can sing

 

I wish I could sing.

 

If you 'can sing' you have the ability to sing well.  Notice the following:

 

He can sing like an opera singer.

She can't dance at all, but she can sing.

nothing special

 

Just normal dancing, nothing special.

 

'Nothing special' is nothing interesting, exciting or different. Notice the following:

 

I have a lot of clothes, but nothing special to wear to the dance on Friday.

We are having chicken and salad for dinner, nothing special.

exercise

 

Do you like to exercise.

 

'Exercise' is physical⁶ activity, like running or playing sports, that you do to stay healthy.  Notice the following:

 

What do you do for exercise?

The doctor told me to do these exercises every day.

used to

 

I used to go to the gym three times a week.

 

We use the phrase⁷ 'used to' for a physical state or a repeated⁸ action that was true in the past, but is not true now.  Notice the following:

 

She used to be fat, but now she is thin.

He used to like apples, but now he won't eat them.

a clean place

 

I like a clean place, but I don't like to clean.

 

A 'clean place' in this example is a clean house.  A house where things are sanitized and organized.  Notice the following:

 

You can use the kitchen, but clean up after yourself.  Your mom has to have a clean place.

There is never a clean place in the house after you have a party.

1 norm   

n.标准，规范，平均数

参考例句：

• Of his age,the child is above the norm in arithmetic.在他那个年龄，这个孩子的算术能力是超过标准的。
• These events were aberrations from the norm.这些事件不合常规。

2 ballroom   

n.舞厅

参考例句：

• The boss of the ballroom excused them the fee.舞厅老板给他们免费。
• I go ballroom dancing twice a week.我一个星期跳两次交际舞。

3 ordinary   

adj.平常的，普通的；n.常事，常例，普通的人

参考例句：

• Her new house is certainly out of the ordinary.她的新居真是不同凡响。
• That is quite an ordinary event.那是极平常的一件事。

4 used   

adj.用旧了的，旧的；习惯于…；过去惯/经常

参考例句：

• I used to work until nearly 6:00 o'clock each day.我过去常常工作到6:00左右。
• He used to walk anywhere from two to five miles an hour.他过去经常一小时走二至五英里。

5 vocabulary   

n.词汇，词汇量；词汇表

参考例句：

• How can I widen my vocabulary?怎样扩大自己的词汇量？
• You can find all the new words in the vocabulary of the text.你能在课文的词汇表中找到所有的生词。

6 physical   

adj.物理的，物质的，体力的，身体的，自然的

参考例句：

• Good physical conditions can never be bought with money.健康决非金钱所能买到。
• This change of the state is a physical change.这种状态的变化是物理变化。

7 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。

8 repeated   

adj.反复的，再三的，重复的；累；频仍

参考例句：

• repeated absences from school 一再缺课
• the prisoner's repeated denials of the charges against him 囚犯再三否认对他的指控