英语角-圆桌会议 RoundTable0808 - 第一份工资是怎么花的？

 Topic1 Spending your first paycheckThe first paycheck is one of the most important rites¹ of passage into adulthood². It is a symbol of your financial independence, a declaration of your readiness to become a productive member of society, and probably the beginning of your life-long hatred³ of the payroll⁴ tax.

How did you spend your first paycheck?

Topic2 Nostalgic PopsiclesWhat is old is new again.

This summer, food manufacturers are playing the nostalgia⁵ card to attract urban consumers by branding products with a sweet childhood memory. The biggest winner here is the popsicle called Dong Bei Da Ban.

What is the Dongbei Daban? How popular?

Topic3 Brave DongbeirenIf you walk on the street and see a guy stealing from a young lady, would you do you anything to help?

A recent online program shows that 11 out of 15 men in the Northeast would do so, while in Shanghai, the result is very different.

What is this program? What did it show us?

Topic4 Care for some bullet curtain movies?

A new type of movie showing has tested the waters among Chinese moviegoers who can leave real time comments on the film screen for everybody else to see.

This kind of movie showing is called a bullet curtain screening and it has got the industry talking.

What is it?

Topic5 The inexplicable⁶ "V"The V sign, a gesture commonly used by Chinese people while taking photos, is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted, while the other fingers are clenched⁷. It has various meanings, depending on the cultural context and how it is presented.

So where did it start? Is it just a China thing?

Topic6 Back up boyfriendA backup literally⁸ is a spare copy of a file, file system, or other resource for use in the event of failure or loss of the original. But now, there is a group of people calling themselves "backups. In this case they are the people kept in reserve to serve as a rebound⁹ lover or spouse¹⁰.

What exactly are these "backups?"

1 rites   

仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to administer the last rites to sb 给某人举行临终圣事
• He is interested in mystic rites and ceremonies. 他对神秘的仪式感兴趣。

2 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

3 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

4 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

5 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。

6 inexplicable   

adj.无法解释的，难理解的

参考例句：

• It is now inexplicable how that development was misinterpreted.当时对这一事态发展的错误理解究竟是怎么产生的，现在已经无法说清楚了。
• There are many things which are inexplicable by science.有很多事科学还无法解释。

7 clenched   

v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。
• She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上，以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 rebound   

v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回

参考例句：

• The vibrations accompanying the rebound are the earth quake.伴随这种回弹的振动就是地震。
• Our evil example will rebound upon ourselves.我们的坏榜样会回到我们自己头上的。

10 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？