【英语趣味课堂】和朋友一起闲逛-Hanging out with Friends

 Katia: Hey Todd. How was the party last Saturday?

Todd: It was fun, you should have come.

 

Katia: I know but I had too many things to do so I just decided¹ not to go.

 

Todd: In the end it was a lot of fun. There was a lot of good food and everybody ate too much and drank too much a little bit but maybe next year.

 

Katia: All right, well it sounds great, maybe for next year. But listen, I have a party this coming Saturday, perhaps you want to join us?

 

Todd: Ooh, I'm always ready for a party.

 

Katia: But you do have to bring food.

 

Todd: OK. Well you know I'm not a very good cook so can I just buy something?

 

Katia: That's not a problem. There will be maybe about ten to fifteen people.

 

Todd: OK.

 

Katia: And we'll have music, we'll have food and there will be students, there will be local people.

 

Todd: So is there anything that you can recommend² that I bring?

 

Katia: Perhaps something without meat, so everybody can eat.

 

Todd: OK. Are you a vegetarian³?

 

Katia: Actually no, I'm not a vegetarian but I believe there will be some people that cannot eat certain kinds of meat, so just to be on the safer side maybe just vegetables or a fruit salad.

 

Todd: OK. Maybe I'll make a vegetable tray⁴, a vegetable platter or whatever and maybe cut up some carrots, cucumbers⁵, maybe get some dip, how's that?

 

Katia: That sounds really good. I'm getting hungry already.

 

Todd: Then of course I can maybe just bring a cake or a pie. There's a nice bakery shop that I know about, they make really good cakes.

 

Katia: OK. That sounds really good especially as I don't think anybody else will be bringing dessert.

 

Todd: Fantastic. Actually that's what I did last week at the party is I brought a chocolate cake so maybe I'll get the same one, it was really good.

 

Katia: OK, that's sounds really good. I would like to try the chocolate cake.

 

Todd: So this party is it going to be just kind of a casual⁶ party, will people sit around and talk and drink or is it going to be dancing, what's going on?

 

Katia: I really don't know, whatever people feel like doing, it's more like a spontaneous⁷ thing. If people want to talk, there'll be talking, there will be some music of course and different kinds of people so I'm not sure what will be expected but as long as everybody enjoys a good time and talk and meet new people, so really no expectations just a good time.

 

Todd: Actually I've never been to your place. Is this at your apartment?

 

Katia: Yes, it's going to be at my apartment which is not very far from here.

 

Todd: OK. Do you have a big apartment?

 

Katia: Considering the norm⁸, it's a little bit bigger but not big considering other houses or other apartments.

 

Todd: Big enough for fifteen people?

 

Katia: We can all fit.

 

Todd: OK. What about alcohol⁹? Is it BYOB?

 

Katia: Yes.

 

Todd: Oh really so just bring wine or beer?

 

Katia: Yes, yes. Anything that you want to bring that you want to drink yes, but food will be provided¹⁰, the main food.

 

Todd: The main food, just the side stuff¹¹ we bring?

 

Katia: Yes.

 

Todd: And the dress, is it casual?

 

Katia: Just casual, yes casual, yes casual.

 

Todd: All right, yeah. Actually when does it start?

 

Katia: OK, it starts, you can come between eight thirty or nine, that's the time that people will be arriving or any time after or before really, so you can come any time but that's the time that people will be gathering¹².

 

Todd: All right and what time do you think it will be over?

 

Katia: That's a very difficult question. It depends how people are enjoying it or not.

 

Todd: And how nice your neighbors are maybe?

 

Katia: Exactly. It should be all right though with the neighbors.

 

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 recommend   

vt.推荐，介绍；劝告，建议；使成为可取，使受欢迎

参考例句：

• Can you recommend me a good book?你能给我介绍一本好书吗？
• I can recommend this play to all lovers of good theatre.我把这个剧推荐给所有爱好优秀戏剧的人。

3 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

4 tray   

n.盘，托盘，碟

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• A waitress came in,carrying tea on a tray.一名女侍者走进来，手端放着茶的托盘。

5 cucumbers   

n.黄瓜，胡瓜( cucumber的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She steeped the cucumbers in brine. 她把黄瓜泡在盐水里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cucumbers are crisp and refreshing. 这黄瓜脆生爽口。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 casual   

adj.漠不关心，冷漠的；随便的，非正式的；偶然的，碰巧的

参考例句：

• He earns a living by casual labour.他靠做临时工为生。
• The guests wore casual clothes.客人们穿着便服。

7 spontaneous   

adj.自发的，不由自主的

参考例句：

• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。
• Spontaneous applause broke out as soon as she finished speaking.她一讲完，大家不约而同都鼓起掌来。

8 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。

9 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。

10 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

11 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

12 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。