英语访谈对话 518 Exchange Student

 　　Todd: Kate, you said you were an exchange student when you were younger?

　　Kate: That’s right. When I was 15 I went to Tokyo, Japan for just 2 weeks on a high school exchange.

　　Todd: So were you alone or with your school?

　　Kate: Erm I was…Well you could say I was alone. I went with a group of about 7 people around about the same age and they were from the same city.

　　Todd: What was it like living with a Japanese family?

　　Kate: Oh it was very interesting. The customs¹ were so different. The family was really great to me, really kind and caring.

　　Todd: What is different about the Japanese lifestyle and the lifestyle in New Zealand?

　　Kate: Erm, in a way they have this togetherness , the family. The traditional way is that the mother is home all day: she is a housewife² and she will wake up at 5 o’clock in the morning, make the breakfast for the whole family and then she is at the home all day cleaning. Then when the kids come home and she makes them dinner and finally the father comes home very late at night after work, and then he gets his dinner. Very very different from my family which is everybody just gets their own dinner. Everyone is independent.

　　Todd: Wow that is a lot different. Any other differences like, for example, bathing³ or sleeping or eating or anything like that?

　　Kate: Bathing, yeah. They share ofuro… it’s like, they share a bath. I think it starts when they’re children. I’m not sure, I can’t quite remember but they all share the same water, they don’t waste water. They are very conservative⁴.

　　Todd: So one person gets in the bath, then the next person, then the next?

　　Kate: That’s right.

　　Todd: Separately⁵?

　　Kate: Separately.

　　Todd: Oh, interesting. Ok, and what about sleeping? Did you sleep on a bed or a futon?

　　Kate: I slept on a futon which to me… it felt like the floor. I might as well just put the futon away and slept on the floor but I got used to it.

　　Todd: What do you prefer now: a futon or a bed?

　　Kate: I have a bed now but I don’t mind a futon. I’ve really gotten used to it.

　　Todd: So you obviously⁶ have really good memories having an exchange… or being an exchange student. Would you like to have an exchange student some day?

　　Kate: Yes, of course. I’ve had 3 already actually in my house.

　　Todd: Really?

　　Kate: Yes, because when you go to Japan you’re expected to have a host sister or host brother come back to New Zealand the next year, the following year.

　　Todd: Ah, I see.

1 customs   

n.海关，关税

参考例句：

• The customs officials turned the man over to the French police.海关官员把那个人移交给了法国警察。
• They are collecting customs.他们正在收缴关税。

2 housewife   

n.主妇，家庭主妇

参考例句：

• The cleverest housewife can't cook a meal without rice.巧妇难为无米之炊。
• She was a housewife of experience.她是一个有经验的主妇。

3 bathing   

n.游泳，洗海水澡

参考例句：

• The place is convenient for bathing.这地方适合游泳。
• Naked bathing is not allowed to this beach.这个海滩禁止裸泳。

4 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

5 separately   

adv.单独地，分开地

参考例句：

• Bulky items will be collected separately.大件物品将分开收集。
• Text and graphics are prepared separately and then combined.文字和图分别编排后再进行混排。

6 obviously   

adv.显然；明白地

参考例句：

• Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.显然他们是在给他以严峻的考验。
• Obviously he was lying.显然他是在撒谎。