生活英语对话 Episode 20: A date by the river

本单元是关于河边约会的对话

Helen: Oh Michal, that river cruise was fantastic.
Michal: It was lovely seeing all those famous buildings, wasn't it?
Helen: Yes, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye all looked so impressive in the winter light, didn't they?
Michal: You look lovely in the winter light too you know.
Helen: Oh Michal, you're so sweet.
Michal: It's true. You're beautiful Helen.
Helen: You're quite a hunk yourself, you know.
Michal: That might be true but suddenly I'm feeling a little sea-sick.
Helen: You do look a bit green. You're not going to throw up, are you?
Michal: Oh yes, I don't feel well. I think I'm going to be sick.
Helen: Was it something I said?


Vocabulary :

hunk (adj, to describe a man, informal): handsome, good-looking
to look green (idiom): to look ill or sick, or as if you are going to vomit¹
to throw up (verb): to be physically² sick, to vomit
to fancy (verb, informal): to be romantically or sexually attached to someone

本单元的语言点是反义问句，看看下面的反义问句的例句

Question tags – use

A question tag is used at the end of a statement to ask someone to agree with us, or to keep a conversation going, or to ask a genuine, real question:
It was lovely seeing those buildings, wasn't it?
They looked impressive, didn't they?
Since both Helen and Michal went on the date together and saw the same things, these are examples of question tags to ask for someone's agreement or to keep a conversation going.

You're not going to throw up, are you?

Helen really doesn't know if Michal is going to vomit or not, so this is an example of a tag to ask a genuine question.


Question tags – form

A question tag is made up of a statement and a tag. If the statement is positive, the tag is negative:
She's a teacher, isn't she?
He's handsome, isn't he?

If the statement is negative, the tag is positive:
You don't know where the nearest bank is, do you?
He can't speak Portuguese³, can he?

If the statement uses an auxiliary⁴ or modal verb, the tag uses the same verb:
We should bring a present, shouldn't we?
They're married, aren't they?

If the statement doesn't use an auxiliary verb, the tag verb is 'do':
She plays tennis well, doesn't she?
They don't work in Bombay, do they?

The usual tag for 'am I' is 'aren't I?':
I'm wrong, aren't I?
But note that some versions of English (for example, Scottish and Irish English) the tag is 'amn't I? ':
I'm late, amn't I?

The tag for 'Let's' is 'shall we? ':
Let's go to the party, shall we?



Question tags – intonation

The meaning of a question tag changes if your voice goes up or down when you say it.

If your voice goes down (from high to low in tone), you are not asking a real question; you are simply asking the other person to agree with you (this usually happens when you are making "small talk" or having conversations about unimportant things). For example:
She's a very pretty bride, isn't she?
It was lovely seeing all those famous buildings, wasn't it?

If your voice goes up, you are asking a real question. For example:
They live in Paris, don't they?
But you are OK, aren't you?

1 vomit   

v.呕吐，作呕；n.呕吐物，吐出物

参考例句：

• They gave her salty water to make her vomit.他们给她喝盐水好让她吐出来。
• She was stricken by pain and began to vomit.她感到一阵疼痛，开始呕吐起来。

2 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。

3 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

4 auxiliary   

adj.辅助的，备用的

参考例句：

• I work in an auxiliary unit.我在一家附属单位工作。
• The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of blackout.这家医院装有备用发电系统以防灯火管制。