生活英语对话 Episode 61: A difficult conversation

本单元是关于难以对话的对话

Helen: Hi Michal, what are you doing on the computer? Let's see ... one ticket to Poland! Michal, what's going on?
Michal: Helen, we have to talk about everything! We need to talk about love, commitment, family and about dads.
Helen: Dad? What did he say to you in the garden? You've been acting¹ all funny since we got back from that visit.
Michal: No, Helen not your dad, my dad. He's had a heart attack.
Helen: Oh, that's awful. So that's why you are flying over to visit him. How long are you going for?
Michal: Helen, it's a one-way ticket I've booked; I'm going back to Poland for good.


Vocabulary:（字汇）

commitment (n):（承诺）
being ready to give a lot of your time, attention or love to something or someone because you believe in the person or thing is right or important

a one-way ticket:（单程票）
a ticket you use to go somewhere but which you can't use to come back

for good:（永远）
for ever

　本单元的语言点是句子重音，口语英语当中,我们使用句子重音来强调句子里面最重要的部分（整个句子的重点所在）。重音经常落在有含义的字上，举例来说，重音可能放在主要的动词、名词和形容词上，而不是放在冠词或附属动词上。说话的时候，重音部分我们说的比较大声并且比较缓慢。

Sentence stress

In spoken English, we use sentence stress to show our listeners which parts of our sentences are the most important (the parts that carry the most meaning).We usually stress content words, for example, main verbs, nouns and adjectives rather than articles or auxiliary² verbs.We stress words by saying them slightly louder and more slowly than the other words in the sentence.口语英语当中,我们使用句子重音来强调巨资里面最重要的部分（整个句子的重点所在）。重音经常落在有含义的字上，举例来说，重音可能放在主要的动词上，名词和形容词上，而不是放在冠词或附属动词上。说话的时候，重音部分我们说的比较大声并且比较缓慢。

Helen: Have you SEEN the NEW FILM with TOM CRUISE³?

The words in capital letters (a main verb, an adjective and two nouns) are the ones Helen stresses. 上句中，粗体字 (主要动词、形容词和两个名词)是重音所在的部分。

Shifting stress

If we want to contrast or show disagreement with what someone else has said, we use shifting stress. We do this by changing the usual patterns of sentence stress. So in this next example, John knows the conversation is about films and Tom Cruise so he doesn't have to stress those items. Instead he stresses the new or contrasting information:如果要和其它人所说的形成对比或表达不同意，我们就要使用转移语调。方法是改变平常说话的重音语调，在下一个例句中，John已经知道对话的有关于电影和Tom Cruise，所以他不需要在这些部分放重音，他只需要强调新的或相反的信息即可:

Helen: Have you SEEN that NEW FILM with TOM CRUISE?
John: NO, but I saw the LAST one he was in. It was TERRIBLE!

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 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。

3 cruise   

v.巡航，航游，缓慢巡行；n.海上航游

参考例句：

• They went on a cruise to Tenerife.他们乘船去特纳利夫岛。
• She wants to cruise the canals of France in a barge.她想乘驳船游览法国的运河。