英语博客(A cup of English):033 Biscuit the mechanical dog

　　Beginners.
The U.S. is definitely a shopping culture. There are so many things to buy, and so many advertisements on television that it is hard to not buy. Unfortunately, my children see the advertisements on television, and think that they need all of the toys. "You have plenty of toys," I say to them all the time. They have toys in their bedrooms, in the lounge¹, and even in the kitchen. But still they think that they need more toys. For Christmas, Domini, my daughter, got a huge, mechanical dog called Biscuit. She had begged me for it. Well, perhaps it wasn't a good idea. The toy is amazing, though. It makes all kinds of noises; it sits and lies down, moves its paws and tail, and even pants. However, Biscuit's magic must have disappeared because the kids don't play with it at all. They did for two or three days. Now it is in a corner with other unwanted toys. Perhaps I should wrap it up and save it for another child's birthday.
Grammar notes.
Useful expressions: It is hard to (not) .... exs. It is hard to say "no"; it is hard to not laugh; it is hard to drive at night; it is hard to not get angry.
Perhaps it wasn't the best idea. More exs. Perhaps, it was for the best. Perhaps it wasn't the right time. Perhaps it was a mistake.
Verbs: To beg (reg); to buy (buy, bought, bought); to wrap (reg); to save (reg).
Advanced.
Do you ever regret having bought something? In retrospect², I have a mental history of objects that I acquired at some stage, usually with enthusiasm, only to wish later that I had never bought them. Yard sale finds are definite objects of guilt³. When I first discovered the practice of yard saling, it became an indulgence, and soon the bric-a-brac, or "junk" as my husband calls it, started piling up at home. "Oh, but this is sooo useful," I would say, after spending a few dollars on a wobbly coffee table. "I just need to fix the legs and give it a lick⁴ of paint..." The fate of the coffee table was, of course, to be resold in my own yard sale a year later. It wasn't always the case, though. A few items have been put to good use...I actually can't remember which ones at this moment, but I'm sure there are some somewhere in the house. The latest 'oops' of comercialism in this family was the buying of Biscuit, the giant, mechanical dog. It does everything apart from making the tea and driving the kids to school, and of course it is fluffy⁵. My older kids told me that it's a bit scary, sort of crazy and robotic. Either way, it is sitting in a lonely corner with the other unwanted toys that cost too much. Do you think that I could accidentally, on purpose, make it disappear? Maybe Ebay is the solution....
Grammar notes.
Verbs: to regret (reg); to acquire (reg); to discover (reg); to become (become, became, become); to give (give, gave, given); to cost (cost, cost, cost).
Useful expressions: To regret having done something. Exs. I regret having trusted him. She regretted visiting the cemetery⁶ at night.
At some stage = once, once upon a time, at a time in the past or future.
The practice of... exs. They devote themselves to the practice of prayer. They are famous for their practice of mud slinging⁷.
A few items = a few things.
It's slightly/ a bit/ a little scary/ dark/ noisy/ rusty⁸ etc.

1 lounge   

n.休闲室，休息室，长沙发；v.闲荡，闲散地度过，混日子

参考例句：

• We had coffee in the lounge.我们在客厅里喝咖啡。
• Don't lounge away your working hours.不要消磨工作时间。

2 retrospect   

n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯

参考例句：

• One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
• In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

3 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

4 lick   

vt.舔（吃），打败，轻拍，吞卷；n.舔，少许

参考例句：

• I think we could lick the best teams there.我想我们能打败那儿最好的队。
• The house would look better with a lick of paint.这房子稍加颜色就好看了。

5 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

6 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

7 slinging   

抛( sling的现在分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• You're slinging mud at me -- that's a pack of lies! 你血口喷人，不讲道理。
• The boys were slinging stones into the river. 孩子们当时正往河里投石子。

8 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。