生活英语对话 Episode 2: In the flat

本单元是关于在公寓的对话

Tim: Alice this is my cousin Michal - our new flatmate. He's really missing¹ his friends.
Alice: Oh, Michal let me take your mind off that...So, where are you from?
Michal: From near Warsaw - the Polish capital.
Alice: Oh, what do you do?
Michal: I'm a guide tourist.
Alice: So interesting! Why are you visiting London?
Michal: To improve my English.
Alice: Oh, well, why not come out with us now? Then we can cheer you up and you can practise your English at the same time.

本单元的语言点是复合词，复合词由两个（或更多）单独的词组成。可以用名词（a flatmate），形容词（lovesick）或动词（jump-start）组成复合词

Compound² words are made up of two (or more) separate words. You can combine nouns³ (a flatmate), adjectives⁴ (lovesick) or verbs (jump-start) to make compound words.

Sometimes they become one word （有时它们可组成一个词）:

flatmate (noun)
lovesick (adjective)

Sometimes they become two words （有时它们可组成两个词）:

tourist guide (noun)
travel agent (noun)

Sometimes they become hyphenated （有时它们可以由连字号，即“-”连接起来）:

low-paid (adjective)
film-goer (noun)

Note: There are no hard and fast rules about which category each compound word goes into but a good dictionary will tell you. You can also help yourself by making a note of new compound words you come across and the category they go into.

注意:复合词应该属于哪类词没有硬性规定，但查询一本好词典一般可以获得解答。平时遇到新的复合词的时候应注意记录，并了解它应该属于哪类词。

Generally the stress is on the first word （重读一般都放在头一个词上面）:

phone box (noun)
smoke-free (adjective)
spoon-feed (verb)
Vocabulary (词汇):

A flatmate (n): a person who shares a rented house or flat with other people 与他人共同租住同一个住宅或单元房的人

Lovesick (adj): a feeling of such strong emotion for someone that it makes you feel almost ill (but not actually physically⁵ ill) 因思念某人而害相思病（并非身体真的有病）

A tourist guide (n): someone who shows visitors around places of interest 带领游客四处旅游的导游

Low-paid (adj): earning a small amount of money for working 低收入的

To spoon-feed (v): 1: to feed someone (usually a baby) with a spoon. 2: to give someone so much information or help that a task or job is very easy for them 用调羹喂某人（如婴儿、病人）；娇生惯养

1 missing   

adj.遗失的，缺少的，失踪的

参考例句：

• Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具，看有无丢失。
• All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了，就短他一个。

2 compound   

n.化合物；大院；adj.化合的；vt.加重；使化合

参考例句：

• Air is a mixture,not a compound of gases.空气是气体的混合物，不是化合物。
• How many households in the compound?院内有几家住户？

3 nouns   

n.名词；名词( noun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns. 法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Nouns join to form compounds. 名词和名词结合构成复合词。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 adjectives   

n.形容词( adjective的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We can form nouns from adjectives. 我们可以用形容词来构成名词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Attributive adjectives precede the noun. 定语形容词位于名词前。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。