英语博客：Fire and sugar.

　　Ah, Spring is here, and we are back to the normal good weather activities. This weekend, we had a couple of the kids' friends over for a 'sleep-over'. You can probably tell by the name what a sleep-over is: the kids come and play in the evening and end up spending the night. It is the latest thing that seems to be extremely important to my children. If only one of them can have a friend over, then it's just not fair, so we have to have at least two to keep everyone happy. The next morning, all the kids were running around outside, playing 'army' and climbing trees. My husband busied himself by mowing¹ the lawn² and fixing an irrigation pipe that was broken. I noticed that he was gathering³ wood and dry brush from the garden, going back and forth⁴, back and forth. What was he up to? It got to late afternoon and he was still out in the back garden. I went to check on the children who were now playing in the front garden, when Hudson suddenly yelled⁵, "Hey look everyone, a fire!" We ran over to the fence that separates the front yard from the back yard, and, sure enough, there was a big fire in the firepit. The plan was to burn a few things in the firepit, and then, as the fire died down, we would sit around it and roast hot dogs and marshmallows. This was cause for a lot of excitement! The idea of fire and sugar always excites the kids. Okay, so,let's get organized. Get the chairs, get the food, and get the long sticks to put the hot dogs and marshmallows on. When we had everything together, we sat around and gazed⁶ at the fire, while the kids held their special treats over the flames. The trick with marshmallows is to get them nicely browned, but not burned. If one catches fire, it is done for. So, you hold the stick over the fire, and slowly turn it, to cook the food just right, keeping an eye on it, so it doesn't get overdone⁷. The packet of marshmallows soon ran out, the fire died down, and I could hear people starting to yawn⁸. What a perfect way to spend a Spring evening. Fire and sugar, what a combination⁹!
Grammar notes
Common phrases: to busy oneself, it's not fair, sure enough, to be up to...
1. They busied themselves by setting¹⁰ up camp and preparing the dinner.
2. He has a bigger slice of cake than I do; that's just not fair!
3. The lady wasn't looking where she was going, so, sure enough, she tripped and fell.
4. What are you up to kids? How come the cookie jar is empty? Have you been up to no good?

1 mowing   

n.割草，一次收割量，牧草地v.刈，割( mow的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The lawn needs mowing. 这草坪的草该割了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• "Do you use it for mowing?" “你是用它割草么？” 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

2 lawn   

n.草地，草坪，上等细麻布

参考例句：

• The lawn was crawling with ants.草坪上爬满了蚂蚁。
• They are lying on a grassy lawn.他们躺在绿草如茵的草坪上。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 yelled   

v.叫喊，号叫，叫着说( yell的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He yelled at the other driver. 他冲着另一位司机大叫。
• The lost man yelled, hoping someone in the woods would hear him. 迷路的人大声喊着，希望林子里的人会听见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 gazed   

v.凝视，注视( gaze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He gazed at her with pure adoration. 他一往情深地注视着她。
• She gazed at him in amazement. 她惊异地注视着他。

7 overdone   

v.做得过分( overdo的过去分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度

参考例句：

• The lust of men must not be overdone. 人们的欲望不该过分。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The joke is overdone. 玩笑开得过火。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 yawn   

n.呵欠；v.打呵欠

参考例句：

• He got up with a stretch and a yawn.他站起来伸伸懒腰，打个呵欠。
• Her yawn suggests that she is sleepy.她打哈欠表示她很困了。

9 combination   

n.组合，合并，联合；

参考例句：

• He carried on the business in combination with his friends.他与朋友们合伙做生意。
• The materials can be used singly or in combination.这些材料可以单独使用也可以混合用。

10 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。