和老外聊天的地道口语第75期:你吃过中餐吗?

Liu: (having lunch with Joseph) have you ever been invited to a Chinese feast?
Joesph:sure. Beijingers are distinguished¹ for their warmth and hospitality.
L: as far as you could see, is dining at a Chinese table a distinct experience? To what extent does it differ from that in your homeland?
J: to begin with, I have to use chopsticks.
L: but you look quite proficient² in using them now.
J: certainly. After all, I've been here for two years. It's not much uphill work for a foreigner to get used to Chinese dinner utensils³. Though, I do feel hazy⁴ about how to behave appropriately at a Chinese dinner table.
L: yes, table etiquette⁵. There are a multitude of rules that foreigners might never know until they were told. Some practices even appear somewhat awkward or rude to Westerners, while they are the norm in China. Hey, your chopsticks, old silly! You should not stab them vertically⁶ into the rice bow!
J: anything strang about that?
L: maybe you should have palced them horizontally over your bowl or plate. They resemble two incense⁷ sticks used at sacrifices. It's very inauspicious, and might enrage⁸ all present.
J: oh, sorry! There's a long story even with a mere⁹ pair of sticks.
你吃过午餐吗?
当然了,北京人的热情好客是出了名的.
你觉得跟一桌中国人吃饭是不是很不一样?跟你在你自己的国家吃饭有哪些不同呢?
首先,我得改用筷子.
可是,你看起来用筷子用的很熟练嘛.
当然了,怎么着我也在这里呆了2年了.我们老外庸官中式餐具倒也不是什么难事,但是在中国人的餐桌上,我经常感觉到无所适从.
不错,餐桌上的礼仪.吃饭时,有很多规矩,我们不说,老外们就不知道.其中有一点,在中国早已司空见惯,可是对于老外来说,有点让人不舒服,甚至有点粗暴无礼.喂喂喂,老兄,注意你的筷子!直插在米饭里可不好!
这个有什么不对吗?
也许你应该把它们平放在碗或者盘子上.要不然它们看上去就像2根香烛,不吉利,在座的所有人都会不高兴的.
对不起,对不起!没想到连一双筷子都有这么多奥秘.

 

1 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

2 proficient   

adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家

参考例句：

• She is proficient at swimming.她精通游泳。
• I think I'm quite proficient in both written and spoken English.我认为我在英语读写方面相当熟练。

3 utensils   

器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物

参考例句：

• Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

4 hazy   

adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的

参考例句：

• We couldn't see far because it was so hazy.雾气蒙蒙妨碍了我们的视线。
• I have a hazy memory of those early years.对那些早先的岁月我有着朦胧的记忆。

5 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

6 vertically   

adv.垂直地

参考例句：

• Line the pages for the graph both horizontally and vertically.在这几页上同时画上横线和竖线，以便制作图表。
• The human brain is divided vertically down the middle into two hemispheres.人脑从中央垂直地分为两半球。

7 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

8 enrage   

v.触怒，激怒

参考例句：

• She chose a quotation that she knew would enrage him.她选用了一句明知会激怒他的引语。
• He started another matter to enrage me,but I didn't care.他又提出另一问题，想以此激怒我，可我并没在意。

9 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。