【英语趣味课堂】谈论狗狗-Talking About Dogs

Todd: So, Gloria , have you ever had any pets?

 

Gloria: Yes, I have. In fact, I still have one in America right now.

 

Todd: You do?

 

Gloria: Mm-hm

 

Todd: Yeah, what?

 

Gloria: He's a dog named Cruiser.

 

Todd: Cruiser.

 

Gloria: Cruiser.

 

Todd: OK, what's Cruiser like?

 

Gloria: Cruiser has blond hair like me, but he has dark brown eyes, and he still thinks he's a puppy but he's 11 years old and he, I think, is absolutely the best dog in the world.

 

Todd: Wow, what kind of dog is he?

 

Gloria: He is a Griffon. We got him at the humane¹ society, so he had a little note with him saying he's a Griffon, which I really don't know a lot about. It's like a miniature wolf hound.

 

Todd: OK. Cute dog?

 

Gloria: Very cute.

 

Todd: Have you ever had a cat?

 

Gloria: Yes, my first pet was a cat.

 

Todd: Uh-huh. What was your first cat's name?

 

Gloria: Ah, my first cat's name was Sally.

 

Todd: Sally.

 

Gloria: Yeah.

 

Todd: What kind of cat?

 

Gloria: Yellow.

 

Todd: Just a yellow cat.

 

Gloria: Just a yellow cat. I think some of my earliest memories were with Sally chasing her around the house, and they're not really related to anything, just running around the house chasing the cat.

 

Todd: Ah, that's cute. 

 

学习内容：

 

in fact

 

Yes, I have a pet; in fact, I still have one in America right now.

 

The phrase 'in fact' is used to give a specific example for what we are talking about. Notice the following:

 

I'm not tired.  In fact, I could watch another movie.

In fact, we are going to visit my parents next weekend.

like

 

What is your dog Cruiser like?

 

When we use 'like' in this way we are asking for a description of something. This usually refers to personality or maybe how something looks. Notice the following:

 

What is traveling on a train like?

He is a lot like his father.

miniature

 

Cruiser is a miniature wolf hound.

 

If something is 'miniature' is a smaller of what's normal.  In this case, a very small copy of a wolf hound. Notice the following:

 

We built a miniature house in the back for the kids to play in.

My son has a miniature version of that car.  It's a toy.

kind

 

What kind of cat did you have?

 

In this case 'kind' refers to type or, more specifically with animals, the breed. Notice the following:

 

What kind of car do you have.

Strawberries are my favorite kind of fruit.

related to

 

One of my earliest memories with Sally was chasing her around the house, and they're not really related to anything.

 

If one thing is 'related to' another there is a connection between the two things. Notice the following:

 

Is your work related to tourism at all?

I think my headache is related to lack of sleep

1 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。