【英语趣味课堂】阅读-Reading

 Todd: Keri, let's talk about reading.

Kerri: OK.

 

Todd: First of all, do you like to read?

 

Kerri: Yes, I do!

 

Todd: What do you read usually?

 

Kerri: I kind of alternate¹ between fiction and non-fiction.

 

Todd: OK. What are you reading now?

 

Kerri: I'm reading two books now. The Ethics² of Startrek, which my uncle gave me, which is non-fiction, and I just started it today: A Spy in the House of Love.

 

Todd: Oh, OK. It looks like a pretty good book. What is it about?

 

Kerri: Right now I've just started, so it's about a women who has been having an affair, basically.

 

Todd: OK. When do you read? When do you find time to read?

 

Kerri: I read on the trains while I'm commuting³ to work. I read at night, on the weekends.

 

Todd: OK. What is your favorite author?

 

Kerri: I don't have a favorite author.

 

Todd: Yeah. it's kind of hard to pick.

 

Kerri: Yeah.

 

Todd: OK. Do you go to the library often?

 

Kerri: No, I don't.

 

学习内容：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

alternate

 

I alternate between fiction and non-fiction.

If you 'alternate' between two things or ideas then you change between them.  You go from one to the other and back again.  Notice the following:

 

My son alternates⁴ between wanting to be an astronaut and a fireman.

She alternates between being really happy and really sad.

affair

 

The book is about a women who has been having an affair.

 

If you are married or have a partner and you have a romantic relationship with a different person then you have 'an affair.'  Notice the following:

 

Even though she had an affair years ago they are still married now.

They got a divorce after she discovered he was having an affair.

find time

 

When do you find time to read?

 

To 'find time' to do something is to have time to do it even though you are very busy and it is difficult to have the time.  Notice the following:

 

I don't know how she does it, but she always finds time to cook a healthy dinner for her family.

Do you ever find time to exercise now?

commute⁵

 

I read on the train while I'm commuting to work.

 

Your 'commute' to work is the travel to work, like on a bus, on a train or in a car.  Notice the following:

 

How long is your commute?

The commute to my new job is much longer than it was to my old job.

hard to pick

 

It's hard to pick a favorite author.

 

If something is 'hard to pick' it is difficult to decide or choose.  In the example, there are many good authors so it is difficult to pick a favorite one.  Notice the following:

 

It is always hard for her to pick what to wear on a first date.

It's hard to pick my favorite fruit because I really like them all.

 

1 alternate   

adj.交替的，间隔的；v.（使）轮流　　

参考例句：

• He and I clean our room on alternate days.我和他隔日轮流打扫我们的房间。
• That was a week of alternate rain and sunshine.那是晴雨天交替的一周。

2 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

3 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

4 alternates   

v.交替( alternate的第三人称单数 )；（使）交替， （使）轮换

参考例句：

• The flood and ebb tides alternates with each other. 涨潮和落潮交替更迭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He alternates joy with grief. 他时喜时忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。