华尔街基础英语Lesson 91

K: No. Not particularly. I’m trying to hear everything on the radio, French, French news in the morning, every morning, gradually¹ one may gets an ear perhaps for the language.
C: What about the pronunciation?
K: Tricky², tricky.
M: I’m probably the oldest person in this class, well, I’m the oldest person in this class and I think it’s more difficult to learn as I should get older but I’m very interested in learning³ Spanish. I do work heard at it.
C: Is Spanish very difficult to learn?
K: The grammar is very difficult, the pronunciation is reasonable easy.
C: What about writing it, have you had a go at writing it?
K: I think writing much more easy, much easier than speaking. I’d agree with that. Speaking is certainly difficult than writing, that is the last time to think. But Margarete has been studying for four years and Kathleen has a home in Spain. So do they still make a lot of mistakes?
M: Oh, yes. I think I still do. Oh, of course.
C: That’s honest, but do mistakes really matter?
K: Languages seems to me all about the levels. You know you thought you got one practice you think you are good and harvest, you got the next mountain in front of you.
C: I don’t think that matters at all, because I think that’s the way really, the only way that you are going to learn.
M: I think it makes she reluctant⁴ to speak because she’ll worry about making mistakes. That’s natural the same for foreigners learning your English. Oh, yes, foreigners learning English they must be simpesetic to the problem we face learning their languages.
C: What about the French people? Have you tried out your French on them yet.
K: I got to Paris every year. I go alone in order that I would speak the language.
C: How do they react⁵?
K: All right. Yes, they are all always in a hurry in Paris. Of course, but they are pretty good, easy to ask the question, hard to understand the questions. Well, the Spanish speek very quickly, but on one occasion⁶ a Spanish said it just as difficulty⁷ for them to understand  us just as for us to understand them, because to them, we speak very quickly. In fact I think the English speak very much slow than the Spanish do.
C: Do you find them helpful when you are there trying to learn it?
K: Well, unfortunately, one doesn’t actually mix with the a lot of Spanish people. This is the difficulty, I think. Where I live there are far more British people than Spanish people. I don’t have any Spanish papers⁸. So in consequence, I don’t actually mix with Spanish people very much as I love to.
C: Now wait a minute. Is kathleen saying the British people in her part of Spain only talk to each other. So what’s that Spanish like? We back to that question again. What are the Brirish like at learning languages.
M: I think we are impossible at learning languages. Where I live I am surrounded by, oh, possibly 100 British people, I only know 3, 2 British ladies, who are actually learning Spanish at school. 3 including myself, I think it’s apalling.
C: Why do you think that is?
M: I think we are very very lazy about learning languages. Because so many people speak English. I think that we are really island isolated⁹ people. There is no basic feeling that languages of other country is important. We don’t need it. We are doing well without it.
C: They are learning English, why should we bother with other language. They are learning English, so why should we bother. Perhaps Magerete and Kathleen are not typical. What does Eve the French teacher think? Are we really that bad at learning languages.
E: no. Not in my class.
C: But generally we are known¹⁰ for not wanting to learn.
E: I think there is certain amount of shyness in English people, that’s not badness. There is nothing at all. I think simply shyness. Natural reserve¹¹.
C: So do you think we’re slowly getting better at it, then?
E: I believe so. I think people more and more are going abroad, they buying house abroad, they’re retiring abroad, they have to learn the language, which is a good thing.
C: But is Eve taking a optimistic¹² view? Are we still an Island people, difficult questions, but at least some British are discussing them or some of them are. Well, that’s it for now, and for me, Clare Martin. Goodbye.

1 gradually   

adv.逐渐地

参考例句：

• The roaring sea gradually calmed down.咆哮的大海逐渐平静下来。
• Gradually he became silent.渐渐地他变得沉默寡言了。

2 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

3 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

4 reluctant   

adj.不愿意的；迟迟不合作的；不同意的

参考例句：

• The workers are reluctant to be ordered around by the employers.工人们不愿被雇主们差来遣去地随便使唤。
• I am reluctant about asking him to do this.我极不愿意让他去干此事。

5 react   

vi.起反应，起作用；反抗，起反作用

参考例句：

• She didn't look up or react in any way.她既不抬头，也没有任何反应。
• How did he react to your suggestion?他如何对待你的建议？

6 occasion   

n.场合，时机，机会，诱因，理由；vt.惹起，引起

参考例句：

• Her dress was too showy for such a formal occasion.在如此正式的场合，她的服装过分华丽了。
• Her tears were fought back on such an occasion.在这种场合下她忍住了眼泪。

7 difficulty   

n.困难，费劲；难事，难题；麻烦，困境

参考例句：

• If there is any difficulty,please let us know promptly.倘有困难，请迅速通知我们。
• A little difficulty like this is nothing to us.这点困难算不了什么。

8 papers   

n.文件，纸币，论文

参考例句：

• I want to check with my secretary before I sign the papers.在签署这些文件前，我要与我的秘书商议。
• The lawyer read all the papers relating to the case.律师阅读了与该案有关的全部文件。

9 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

10 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

11 reserve   

n.储备（物），储藏量，预备队；vt.储备，保存，保留，预定，预约

参考例句：

• We'll reserve the ticket for you till tomorrow noon.票为您保留到明天中午。
• This area was once a wildlife reserve.该地区曾是一个野生动物保护区。

12 optimistic   

adj.乐观的，乐观主义的，乐天的

参考例句：

• She is not optimistic about the outcome.她对结果并不乐观。
• I have this image of you as always being cheerful and optimistic.你留给我的印象总是快活和乐观。