英语访谈对话 28 Homestay in Poland

 　　The first time I moved to Poland I wanted to live with a foreign family so that I could learn Polish¹ language. I went to live with couple in their seventies whose children had moved away from home. They started treating me like a second daughter. At first it was really fun because they'd encourage me to speak and they'd act everything out for me, including my landlord's experiences during the Second World War in Poland, where he'd stand up and perform, but after awhile it got a bit wearing becuase when I wasout the house he would go into my bedroom and start picking up my dirty underwear² from the floor, all he used to leave on the bookshelf³ for me. He would also go into the bathroom, take myunderwear off the line and hang it outside so it would smell fresher. Sometimes he would cook for me, which is great up to a point, because I got to taste some real Polish home cooked food. But when he decided⁴ that I really was his long-lost-daughter and started chopping⁵ my egg for me and then trying to feed it to me I began to feel that maybe it was starting to get time to move out. He would also invite me into the living room so that I could watch the Polish TV and improve my language and then spend half the television show prodding⁶ me and getting me to speak to him in very fast Polish. He was very kind to my friend Kathy when she came over to stay, but unfortunately he wanted me to translate his thoughts on the Polish economy⁷ from very fast Polish into English and the same time she was asking me to translate her ideas on English Cricket⁸ to Polish. None the less, it was an experience I would not have missed!

1 polish   

vt.修正；文饰；（涂蜡等）打光滑；使（人、举止、仪表等）变得优雅；n.擦亮剂；擦亮，磨光；优美，优雅，精良；adj.使完美，使优美，使精炼；vi.得到改进，变得完美

参考例句：

• I'm going to New York,so I must polish up my English.我要去纽约，因此我必须提高英语水平。
• The wood won't polish.这种木材无法磨光。

2 underwear   

n.衫衣，内衣，贴身衣

参考例句：

• He had removed his underwear.他已脱去了内衣。
• They left off their woollen underwear when the weather got warm.天气转暖的时候，他们不再穿羊毛内衣。

3 bookshelf   

n.书架

参考例句：

• Please take the bookshelf away.把书架搬开。
• He put the books all together on the bookshelf.他把每本书都放在书架上。

4 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。

5 chopping   

adj.波浪汹涌的，硕大强健的；削球；斩波；断续

参考例句：

• He was preparing fodder, chopping finely and mixing thoroughly. 他在准备饲料，把它切碎，拌好。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This fellow is always chopping and changing; he's very unreliable. 这个人反复无常，很不可靠。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 prodding   

v.刺，戳( prod的现在分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳

参考例句：

• He needed no prodding. 他不用督促。
• The boy is prodding the animal with a needle. 那男孩正用一根针刺那动物。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 economy   

n.经济；节俭；秩序；机体

参考例句：

• We must do our best to develop the national economy.我们必须努力发展国民经济。
• The country's economy is not very healthy.国家的经济不很景气。

8 cricket   

n.蟋蟀，板球运动；adj.公平的

参考例句：

• The England cricket team scored quite a useful total.英格兰板球队得分总数令人满意。
• We could hear the shrill of the midsummer cricket.我们可以听到仲夏时节蟋蟀的尖叫声。
• Your behaviour isn't cricket.你的行为不光彩。