和老外聊天的地道口语第41期:我该送她什么礼物

Sara: Jessica is going back to Holland¹ next week. I've been thinking a lot about what to give her as a parting gift, but I still have no clue².

Nick: is that the girl you spent almost every weekend with?

S: yeah, that's her. We had a lot of wonderful times together. She is really a special friend, and I want to get her something meaningful³.

N: I am not good at picking gifts. Maybe you can ask if there's anything she needs to make it easier?

S: I don't think so. That way it would lose all the charm⁴. I want it to be a surprise. I want to show her that I care about her and I hope our friendship will last.

N: yeah, that's nice.

S: hmm, I think I've got an idea. Maybe I can get her an ever-green plant to take back home.

N: a plant? That's creative. I'm sure ever time she waters it she'll think of you. But there is a problem. Do you think it'll be able to go through the customs⁵?

S: I hope so. I'll make sure to get a small one so she can put it into her suitcase. I hope it won't cause her trouble at the border.

N: I don't know. I think the idea of a plant going across borders with a friend is really exciting but maybe seeds would be safer. You don't want to get her in trouble.
杰西卡下周就要会荷兰了,我一直在想该选个东西作为分别的礼物,但是还没有头绪.

是那个你哦几乎每周都和她在一起的女孩吗?

嗯,就是她.我们在一起有过很多快乐的时光.她是一个很特别的朋友,我想送给她一件有意义的礼物.

我也不太会挑礼物.要不你先问问她想要什么,这样就能容易点儿?

不要这样,否则就没有意思了.我想给她个惊喜,想让她知道我很珍惜她,希望我们的友谊能够持久.

嗯,这样不错.

我有主意了.或许我可以送给她一盆长青的植物带回家去.

一盆植物?挺有创意的,我相信她浇水的时候总能想起你.但是有一个问题,你觉得植物能过海关吗?

希望吧.我会选个小的,这样她就能放在箱子里面了,我不想过海关的时候给她惹麻烦.

不清楚.我觉得送朋友植物,带着它穿越国界,这想法本身就让人特别兴奋.但是可能种子会更安全一些吧,你毕竟不想给她带来麻烦.
Clue: a fact or a piece of evidence⁶ that helps you discover the answer to a problem (问题答案的)线索,提示
Diet may hold the clue to the causes of migraine.
饮食习惯有可能导致偏头痛.

Meaningful: intended to communicate or express sth to sb, without any words being spoken 意味深长的;意在言外的
She gave me a meaningful look.
她意味深长地看了我一眼.

Water: to pour water on plants, etc. 给...浇水;灌溉
to water the plants/garden 给花草/花园浇水

parting gifts:送别的礼物

have no clue:没有思路,头绪

lose the charm:失去了吸引力

care about somebody:珍惜某人

at the border:在边界处

 

1 Holland   

n.荷兰(欧洲)

参考例句：

• There are many dairies in Holland.荷兰有很多牛奶场。
• Holland is one of Germany's neighbours.荷兰是德国的邻国之一。

2 clue   

n.线索；提示；词语

参考例句：

• She will clue you in about this.她将为你提供这方面情况。
• No clue to his whereabouts has been found.至今没有找到有关他行踪的线索。

3 meaningful   

adj.意味深长的；富有意义的

参考例句：

• They exchanged meaningful looks.他们彼此意味深长地交换了一下眼色。
• The article has a meaningful ending.这篇文章的结尾意味深长。

4 charm   

vt.使着迷，使陶醉；n.招人喜欢之处，魅力

参考例句：

• With all imperfections the short play has a real charm.尽管有不少缺欠，这出小戏仍颇具魅力。
• He could resist her charm no longer.他再也抗拒不住她的魅力。

5 customs   

n.海关，关税

参考例句：

• The customs officials turned the man over to the French police.海关官员把那个人移交给了法国警察。
• They are collecting customs.他们正在收缴关税。

6 evidence   

n.明显，显著，明白，迹象，根据，[物]证据，证物

参考例句：

• The first signs of spring are in evidence.春天的最初迹象已显然可见。
• From the evidence I must conclude that you are wrong.从证据看，我敢断定你错了。