【英语趣味课堂】换衣服-Change of Clothes

Danny: So, what kind of cloths do you like to wear?

 

Alex: I like to wear casual¹ clothes. And that's why I really don't like what I have to wear to work sometimes because it's just not what I would normally² wear.

 

Danny: So what do you normally have to wear to work then?

 

Alex: Oh, I have to hear a tie and kind of like suit trousers and sometimes a suit coat.

 

Danny: Really?

 

Alex:Yeah.

 

Danny: Even in the summer?

 

Alex: Yeah, even in the summer. It's basically³ the company policy that we look business-like. It's crazy. You know that time of year is really hot. You're sort of waiting for the train, and you're sweating and it's just, ugh!

 

Danny: You want a change of clothes by the time you get to work.

 

Alex: Yeah, it's almost like you need a locker⁴ full of new clothes by the time you get there.

 

Danny: I know the feeling.

 

Alex: Maybe I should just wear, you know, like sports clothes, and running clothes until I get to work and then change.

 

Danny: Good idea. So do you keep you clothes for a really long time?

 

Alex: Much longer than my wife would like me to keep them. She's always saying to me, "Just throw that out. It's worn out." "Oh, I like that one." She buys me new clothes but I keep wearing the same ones.

 

Danny: So, you wear them until there's holes in the knees and the pants.

 

Alex: I always have likes seven different shirts I could wear, and maybe four pairs of pants and I always wear the same ones.

 

Danny: So, wear do you buy your clothes when you go shopping?

 

Alex: Oh, this is the great thing about being married, I don't buy clothes anymore. My wife buys my clothes.

 

Danny: Really?

 

Alex: And she's a really good shopper⁵. She knows my size, and she --- well, there is only one problem. I don't always like what she buys, but I never tell her.

 

Danny: So how many times a day do you end up having to change your clothes? You say you have to wear this suit to work, and then you end up sweating. Do you have the opportunity to change?

 

Alex: No, not at work. But once you get to work in the middle of summer, the air-cons on, the air-conditioning's on, so it's not too bad, but by the time I get home from work --- and I usually don't have a bath until later, and I always have to give my work clothes off. I just can't wait to get my work clothes off.

 

Danny: So about once a day.

 

Alex: Yeah, basically.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson

company policy

 

It's company policy that we look business-like.

 

Company policy are just the rules of a company. Company policy often determines things like dress code⁶, break times, and using company items. Notice the following:

 

Company policy states we only get two weeks vacation a year.

Due to a change in company policy, all men must now wear ties.

it's crazy

 

 

We have to wear a tie in summer, so it's crazy.

 

We often use the word 'crazy' to show that something is not logical⁷ or seems strange. People often say something is crazy when they do not agree with it. Notice the following:

 

We have to work on Saturday. That's crazy!

I think it's crazy that you don't know your girlfriend's last name.

by the time

 

 

You want to change your clothes by the time you get to work.

 

The phrase 'by the time' means 'just before' or 'when' something happens. We use the term 'by the time' to express the time something will coincide⁸ with another event. Notice the following:

 

By the time the movie ends, I am usually asleep.

I hope to finish by the time class finishes.

throw out

 

 

When you throw something out, you throw it away and stop using it. We often throw something out when it is too old to be useful anymore. Notice the following:

 

I threw out the milk because it was old.

Don't throw out those jeans. I still wear them.

worn out

 

 

The pants are worn out.

 

When something is worn out, that means it is no longer fit for use. Clothes are often worn out when they have holes in them. Notice the following:

 

These shoes are all worn out. I need new ones.

Faded, worn out jeans are now in style.

1 casual   

adj.漠不关心，冷漠的；随便的，非正式的；偶然的，碰巧的

参考例句：

• He earns a living by casual labour.他靠做临时工为生。
• The guests wore casual clothes.客人们穿着便服。

2 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

3 basically   

adv.基本上，从根本上说

参考例句：

• His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
• Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。

4 locker   

n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人

参考例句：

• At the swimming pool I put my clothes in a locker.在游泳池我把衣服锁在小柜里。
• He moved into the locker room and began to slip out of his scrub suit.他走进更衣室把手术服脱下来。

5 shopper   

n.购物者，顾客

参考例句：

• Hong Kong is a shopper's paradise.香港是购物者的天堂。
• She is one shopper who takes responsibility in bagging her own goods.她是一名承担责任把食品装进袋子的顾客。

6 code   

n.代码，代号，密码；法典，法规，规划

参考例句：

• What's the code for Tianjin?天津的代号是多少？
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

7 logical   

adj.逻辑(上)的，符合逻辑的；合乎常理的

参考例句：

• It is logical that the book is expensive.书贵是很自然的事。
• This is undoubtedly logical.这显然是顺理成章的。

8 coincide   

vi.同时发生，相符，位置重合，重叠

参考例句：

• His tastes and habits coincide with those of his wife.他的爱好跟习惯恰好和他的妻子相同。
• He happened to coincide with you on this point.在这一问题上，他与你不谋而合。