英语博客：Sissy's diner.

 　　I love to discover good places to eat. I know what it is to cook a lot, and clean up afterwards. So, if I stumble¹ across(1) a place that can do all of that for me, and do it well, then I am happy. Sissy's diner(2) is just that kind of place. It is an American style diner, with decor from the '60's, and large, fresh portions. I discovered it a week ago after I left my car at the mechanic's(3); he was changing the tires, so I was without(4) a car for about an hour. I walked along the main street in Wenatchee and window shopped, until I became hungry. As I looked along the street, I could only see furniture, clothes, and appliance shops. But then, I noticed, right on the corner, a colorful building with 'Sissy's diner' written at an angle. When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was that it smelled really good, like fresh bread. At a glance(5), I could see that it was clean, and the people who were eating there were happily talking and eating at the same time.These were all good signs. I ordered a beef and vegetable sandwich, sat down, and checked my emails. A few minutes went by, and a friendly waitress put a plate in front of me. "Gosh!" I said. The plate was full. The sandwich was huge. "That's a good choice," said the waitress smiling. "There is no way that I can eat all of this," I said to myself. But I did. I ate every crumb², every last bit of it(6). After the first bite, I realised that the bread was fresh from the oven and light. The meat was lean(7), and the vegetables were perfectly³ cooked. And when I finished, I felt satisfied but not bloated(8).Oh Sissy! I should have discovered you years ago!

　　1. 'To stumble onto/across' means 'to discover', 'to come upon', 'to find by chance'.

　　a. I stumbled⁴ across some good silver in a yard sale, and I bought it for just a few pennies.

　　b. The detective stumbled across some new information.

　　2. 'Diner' is a word from American culture for a simple, often 50's or 60's style cafe. It is often long in shape, has a bar that you can eat at, and serves simple, American style food.

　　3. 'The mechanic's' is short for 'the mechanic's shop/workshop'. The apostrophe followed by an 's' shows that something belongs to the mechanic, but we don't have to say what. Why? Because from the context⁵ we know that we're talking about: the mechanic's workshop.

　　a. Pick up the cake from the baker's, and I will get the meat from the butcher's.

　　b. I love the vegetables from the grocer's; they're always fresh.

　　4. 'To be without ....' is another way of saying 'to not have something'. Instead of saying 'I didn't have my car for an hour', you can say 'I was without my car for an hour.'

　　a. My husband went hunting yesterday, so I am without a husband for a week.

　　b. I dropped my cell phone in the toilet, so I am without a phone until I get a new one!

　　5. 'At a glance' means 'with a quick look'.

　　a. At a glance the policeman could see that the man had a gun in his pocket.

　　b. At a glance she didn't like the shop.

　　6. 'Every last bit' means 'every final piece'. We often use this phrase when talking about food, but it can be used in other contexts⁶.

　　a. You need to eat every last bit of that meat, or you won't get any dessert.

　　b. I picked up every last bit of the rubbish that the wind had blown on the lawn.

　　7. 'Lean' means 'with no fat'. It can be used with food or animals and people.

　　a. They are opposites. He is fat, and she is lean.

　　b. I can't eat fatty meat; it has to be lean.

　　8. 'To bloat' is to 'blow up' or 'inflate⁷'. We describe feeling too full as 'bloated'.

　　a. I ate too much cake and felt bloated afterwards.

　　b. Stop eating before you get too bloated.

　　Join me on my FACEBOOK page Anna Fromacupofenglish; you're all welcome. If you have questions or suggestions, or if you'd like to get information about Skyped le ssons, email me at [email protected].

1 stumble   

n.绊倒，失策；vi.绊倒，失策，踌躇，无意中发现；vt.绊倒，困惑

参考例句：

• Be grateful to those who have made you stumble,for they have strengthened your ability.感激绊倒你的人，因为他强化了你的能力。
• You never knew when you might stumble across some new talent.谁也说不准什么时候会碰上一位新的天才。

2 crumb   

n.饼屑，面包屑，小量

参考例句：

• It was the only crumb of comfort he could salvage from the ordeal.这是他从这场磨难里能找到的唯一的少许安慰。
• Ruth nearly choked on the last crumb of her pastry.鲁斯几乎被糕点的最后一块碎屑所噎住。

3 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

4 stumbled   

v.（不顺畅地）说( stumble的过去式和过去分词 )；跌跌撞撞地走；绊脚；（说话、演奏等）出错

参考例句：

• I stumbled and sprained my ankle. 我摔了一跤，把脚脖子扭了。
• The child stumbled and fell. 孩子绊了一下，摔倒了。

5 context   

n.背景，环境，上下文，语境

参考例句：

• You can always tell the meaning of a word from its context.你常可以从上下文中猜出词义来。
• This sentence does not seem to connect with the context.这个句子似乎与上下文脱节。

6 contexts   

上下文( context的名词复数 )； 背景； 投资环境； 设备场境

参考例句：

• Even seemingly innocuous words are offensive in certain contexts. 甚至看似毫无恶意的言辞在某些语境下都会引起冒犯。
• Handheld devices are used in a variety of specific contexts. 手持设备会用在各种各样的具体情境下。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 inflate   

vt.使膨胀，使骄傲，抬高（物价）

参考例句：

• The buyers bid against each other and often inflate the prices they pay.买主们竞相投标，往往人为地提高价钱。
• Stuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft.斯图尔特跳到海里给救生艇充气。