Mark: What have you been up to, Jingjing?

马克：最近忙什么呢，京晶？

Jingjing: Things have been a little hectic at work.

京晶：最近有点忙乱。

Mark: I'm sure you can manage. Anyway, there are just a few weeks before the holiday. Would you like a snack? I ordered these online and haven't tried them yet.

马克：我相信你能搞定呢。对了，还有几周就是假期了，你想来点零食吗？我在网上订了一些，不过还没试吃。

Jingjing: So, you want me to be your guinea pig? Let me see.

京晶：所以你想让我当你的豚鼠（试验对象）？给我看看

Mark: You can read more of the Chinese words on the packaging than I can. I just know that 辣条 means spicy stick.

马克：你比我更能读懂更多包装上的英文。我就只知道“辣条”的意思是很辣的小棍。

Jingjing: Haven't you seen the videos about this?

京晶：你没看过这些东西的视频吗？

Mark: There are lots of videos about snack food. They kind of run together after a while.

马克：有很多关于零食的视频。看一会儿过后它们就混到一块儿分不清了。（看上去雷同）

Jingjing: You'd remember these videos. Anyway, these snacks are so spicy that your mouth hurts for half an hour after eating one.

京晶：你得记住这些视频。对了，这些零食特别辣，以致于吃一个之后你的嘴能疼半小时。

Mark: Well, that doesn't sound very appetizing.

马克：这听着好像不怎么有食欲啊。

Jingjing: Actually, the ones you have here aren't the spiciest. There are several levels, up to toxic—or crazy spicy.

京晶：事实上，你手头的这款不是最辣的。有好几个辣的档次，最高是毒辣或者变态辣。

Mark: Sorry, Jingjing. I wasn't trying to trick you.

马克：不好意思，京晶。我没想着要捉弄你的。

Jingjing: That's ok. I'd be glad to try one of these, but I usually avoid spicy food.

京晶：没事的。我也很高兴能尝试其中一款，不过我通常是避免吃辣的。

Mark: Well, since I accepted the package on my way out of the house today, I'm eager to see what they taste like.

马克：那，既然我今天在出门时收到了包裹，我迫不及待想尝一尝它们到底是什么个味道。

Jingjing: Why don't you take one of these white chocolates as a backup. After you've tried the spicy stick, white chocolate can help soothe your taste buds.

京晶：你为什么不带上这些白巧克力以防万一呢. 你试过辣条以后，白巧克力会帮助安抚你的味蕾。

Mark: That's cool. Thanks, Jingjing. Well, here goes.

马克：这法子不错。谢谢京晶。那就来一条了。

Jingjing: How is it?

京晶：怎么样？

Mark: It's spicy, but not too spicy. Now I'm curious about the super spicy ones.

马克：是辣的，但没有太辣。现在我特别好奇那种超级辣的是什么味道呢。

Jingjing: Suit yourself. It's better to stick with real food, in my opinion.

京晶：随你便吧。我觉得，最好还是吃能填饱肚子的食物吧。

New words: 习语短语

hectic 纷繁忙乱的，头绪多的，压力大的

busy, a little stressful

you can manage 你能搞定，能做好

you'll do well and be fine

guinea pig 豚鼠（试验品）

someone who tries something before others, as in an experiment

run together 看着雷同

seem very similar, after too many are seen

appetizing 开胃的

seem tasty

a backup 备案

something available after the first one has been used

taste buds 味蕾

small parts of the tongue that let you know if your food is salty or sweet

Dialogue 2

Jingjing: How goes it this week, Mark?

京晶：这周过得怎么样，马克？

Mark: Pretty good. Hey, I saw a few of those videos about people eating super spicy sticks.

马克：还不错呢。我看了一些人们吃超级辣辣条的视频。

Jingjing: Were they funny?

京晶：好玩吗？好笑吗？

Mark: I guess, in a viral video sort of way. Each one of those videos just shows someone taking a bite of a spicy stick and then reacting to how spicy it was.

马克：从流行性视频的角度来看，每一个都表现了某个人稍微尝了一口辣条，然后对有多辣做出反应。

Jingjing: There's one I saw of a foreigner who speaks fluent Chinese.

京晶：我看到一个是一个中文特别溜的老外。

Mark: Yeah, I saw one too. I could understand most of what he was saying. If it were me, and I ate something that was way too spicy, I'd probably forget to speak Chinese and go back to English.

马克：是呢，我也看到一个。我能明白大部分他说的。如果是我吃了太辣的东西，我可能会忘记说中文直接跳回英文了。

Jingjing: Ha ha. It's a bit to maintain, if you're showing your reaction to something that was crazy spicy.

京晶：哈哈。有点装，如果你在表现你吃了某种变态辣的东西后的反应是这样的话。

Mark: I know, right? If it's really beyond what you can bear, how can you keep your selfie stick steady?

马克：我知道，可不是吗？如果真的超越了你的承受力。你怎么能还保持着你的自拍杆儿那么稳呢？

Jingjing: And, if it's not so bad that you lose control, it's no big deal. Is that it?

京晶：而且，如果你就算是失控了也没什么大不了的，对吗？

Mark: Hmm, I guess I'd rather see real suffering on a video, not fake suffering.

马克：我倒是宁愿看一些真实的苦不堪言，而不是演的。

Jingjing: Look at how desensitized you are because of internet content.

京晶：你看看这些网络的东西让你有多脱敏。

Mark: It does take a lot to shock me.

马克：确实也让我非常震惊。

Jingjing: So, you're convinced that the spiciest of the spicy sticks is not too big of a deal?

京晶：所以，你被说服了（相信了）就算是是超级辣的辣条其实也不算个什么事儿？

Mark: Well, it doesn't look like that much fun.

马克：看上去不是那么好玩嘛

Jingjing: And, it's probably too late for you to make your own video about it. The fad is going to be over soon.

京晶：也是你再做一个自己的视频的话可能有点晚了。这股热潮就快过去了。

Mark: I'll use my pocket money to satisfy my sweet tooth. That reminds me, do you have any more of those chocolates?

马克：我要用我的零花钱来满足我的甜口，这提醒了我，那些巧克力你还有吗？

Jingjing: Here, help yourself.

京晶：这儿，自己拿。

New words: 习语短语

in a ... sort of way 以某种……的方式

(qualified judgement, not what you'd usually hope for after hearing the adjective) She looks beautiful, in a Meryl Streep sort of way. He's nice, in a Dustin Hoffman sort of way. Their new house was well-decorated, in a hotel sort of way.

desensitized 使……不敏感

accustomed to seeing violence or exciting content, so that it no longer has much effect