【英语趣味课堂】晚上的活动-Night Activity

 Todd: Clare, what are your plans for tonight?

Clare: Well, tonight, first of all I'm going to head back home and take a nap¹ because I've got a big night ahead of me. So, I'm going to be going out quite late, about 11:00 so I'll need my energy, but unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to have much of a rest because it will be probably half past seven (7:30) by the time I get home and I need to start getting ready at about 9:00 so, an hour and a half max.

 

Todd: Actually, what do you do to get ready when you go out?

 

Clare: Well, have a shower, get changed, and then, play some games.

 

Todd: OK. What games do you play?

 

Clare: Well, we've recently acquaired a pack of giant cards, so we'll be playing some card games with the giant cards.

 

Todd: So, can you like, give a specific² game that you play?

 

Clare: Well, I don't know if you know the game "Play Your Cards Right"

 

Todd: No, no, how do you play?

 

Clare: It's actually a TV game show. We take it from that. And it's very simple. You have a row of cards that you can't see. And you turn over the first one, and you have to say whether the next card is going to be higher or lower³. Very simple, so, so you turn over a 10, and you say lower, and it's a 6, so you carry on. You say, "higher" and it's a 4, and if you're wrong....so as you can imagine, it's very easy to go wrong.

 

Todd: Yeah. It sounds like a good game. Well, have a good time tonight and good luck in getting ready.

 

学习内容：

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

head back home

 

I'm going to head back home to get some rest.

 

The informal⁴ expression 'head back home' means⁵ go back to your house.  We would use this around friends, family or in casual⁶ situations.  Notice the following:

 

When are you going to head back home?

I need to head back home after we finish here.

max

 

I only have an hour and a half max before I need to get ready.

 

'Max' is a common shortened⁷ form of the word 'maximum' which means limit.  This is commonly used in speech, but isn't used often in written English.  Notice the following:

 

The max she will pay for jeans is $60.

What was the max temperature today?

take a nap

 

I'm going home to take a nap.

 

To 'take a nap' is to sleep for a short amount of time during the middle of the day.  A nap is used to increase energy.  Notice the following:

 

You should go take a nap if you feel so tired.

My son usually takes a nap in the afternoon.

big night 

 

I have a big night ahead of me.

 

A 'big night' is a common way of saying a busy or important night.  This is also an informal phrase⁸.  Notice the following:

 

You will have a big night with the ceremony and celebrity⁹ party tomorrow.

It was a really big night for me last night.

turn over

 

You have a row of cards, and you turn over the first one.

 

To 'turn something over' is to change it from one side to the other.  For example you turn meat over when you cook it so that both sides are cooked.  Notice the following:

 

I like to turn the blanket over because the other side is softer.

Can you please turn the sandwich over in a few minutes?

1 nap   

n.(白天)打瞌睡，打盹

参考例句：

• The nap of the coat has been worn off.外衣上的绒毛已经磨掉了。
• Don't bother me while I am taking my nap.我小睡的时候不要打扰我。

2 specific   

adj.明确的；具体的；特定的

参考例句：

• The money is to be used for specific purposes.这笔钱有专门用途。
• We haven't fixed a specific date for our meeting.我们会议的具体日期还没有定下来。

3 lower   

adj.较低的；地位较低的，低等的；低年级的；下游的；vt.放下，降下，放低；减低

参考例句：

• Society is divided into upper,middle and lower classes.社会分为上层、中层和下层阶级。
• This price is his minimum;he refuses to lower it any further.这个价格是他开的最低价，他拒绝再作任何降价。

4 informal   

adj.非正式的，不拘礼的，通俗的

参考例句：

• I got an informal reception.我受到了非正式接待。
• The leaders met over informal lunches.领袖们在非正式午餐时进行会晤。

5 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

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 shortened   

v.弄短，缩短( shorten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shortened the skirt by an inch. 她把裙子缩短了一英寸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Vacations have lengthened and the work week has shortened. 假期延长，工作周就缩短了。 来自辞典例句

8 phrase   

n.短语，词组；成语，习语

参考例句：

• The phrase was caught on and immediately became popular.这个短语被采用后很快就流行了。
• That's exactly the phrase I was looking for.这就是我一直找的那个短语。

9 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。