美语咖啡屋 Lesson 11: Valentine's Day

Y: 各位听众好，欢迎您到美语咖啡屋。我是杨晨。

J: Hi I'm Jody and welcome to American Cafe!

Y: 我想我们的听众可能觉得很奇怪，听这声音好象不是在咖啡屋。您猜的没错，我们现在站在一个巧克力店门口。为什么呢？因为今天是情人节。

J: That's right, Yang Chen, it's Valentine's Day. So we left the cafe. We came out on the street to find out what people are buying for Valentine's Day!

Y: 巧克力！ 我现在口水要流出来了。

J: And Yang Chen, we've come to the perfect place, Chocolate Chocolate. And you, Yang Chen, I know something about the name Chocolate Chocolate. The chocolate is so good they have to say it twice

Y: 没错。巧克力！ 巧克力！！！今天是情人节。你第一个想到的是人们都送什么礼物呢？就是巧克力。确实是，你看里面人那么多，买巧克力的人好象大多数都是男的。

J: Of course, women love chocolate. Men like to send their sweethearts all kind of good stuff, diamonds and flowers and chocolate.

Y: 你说起钻石，等会儿我们还要去一个珠宝店，专门卖钻石，首饰的珠宝店。

J: That's a great idea. But first let's talk to..., oh, let's talk to this guy! Are these chocolates for you?

Man: No, actually one's for my fiancée and one's for my mom.

Yang Chen: That's so sweet!

Jody: So, we were just saying that Valentine's Day is not only to show your love for a special someone but also family and friends. Is that true?

Man: Yes it is. Women like chocolate anytime, next to diamonds.

Jody: You know, there's a diamond store right up the road.

Man: All right, I passed that one on the way. So...

J: What else for Valentine's Day are popular traditions when you guys plan to do?

Man: Probably dinner, roses, maybe some perfume.

J: Oh, look, there's another guy. I bet he's buying chocolate for his girlfriend.

Y: 你错了。你看这个人走进了[维多利亚的秘密]，是一个专门卖内衣的商店。

J: We are in front of Victoria's Secret store and the window is full of sexy red underwear just for Valentine's Day!

Y: 我可能不太会去买这种红色的内衣。That's not for me.

J: So, traditional gifts for Valentine's Day include chocolate, sexy underwear, and also flowers.

Y: 我们还是去那边看看玫瑰花吧。我们走吧。

Jody: First your name and why you chose to buy roses for your lovely wife on Valentine's Day.

实录1 David: Okay, my name is David Pollack and I like to buy the roses for my wife 'cause Valentine's Day it's a sentimental¹ value for her to know that I love her and show some appreciation².

Y: 说起来Valentine's Day，中国翻成情人节。

J: Literally³, "Lover's Day."

Y: 其实这个“情人节”不光是说情人之间送礼物。

J: Exactly. Valentine's Day is not just for lovers. Children show their love for their parents. Friends can show their love for each other. So, it's a time of the year to show your feelings, I guess.

Y: 就是你对家人，对朋友的爱。

J: You think the name should be changed to something like "Love Day."

Y: 爱心节！

J: 爱心节！Okay, so we've gone to the flower guy, we've gone to the sexy underwear store, we've gone to the chocolate store. What else is there for Valentine's Day?

Y: Diamonds! 钻石！

J: There's a diamond store?! Let's go!

(Enter sound of running)

Jody: We are here in a diamond store in Washington, D.C. What are your comments about Valentine's Day and its relationship to diamonds in general?

实录2 Mervis: Diamond symbolizes⁴ love because for many, many centuries it has always been a tradition of longevity⁵ and because demand is pretty much the hardest gem⁶ it has a stigma⁷ that it lasts forever, which it does. And men and women have always been attracted to its sparkle and brilliance⁸ and beauty.

Jody: Yeh, if you have sweetheart what do you plan to do this Valentine's Day.

实录3 Mervis: Well, I have more than just a sweetheart. I have a very beautiful wife and three kids. And believe me, my wife is going be spoiled rotten on this Valentine. I shouldn't be saying this in case she hears and I'll let the cat out of the bag. And I speak a large pair of diamond studs for her ears. And...yeh....

(laughter)

J: Diamonds are a girls' best friends.

Y: Jody, 你觉得今天过得怎么样？

J: Oh, today is so fun! I love hearing what people are doing for Valentine's Day! Thank you for you joining us outside in D.C. visiting all the places where people are buying traditional Valentine's Day gifts. That's all the time we have on American Cafe! See you next time.

Y: 谢谢大家，我们今天的时间到了。Jody，我有一个遗憾，就是在那个巧克力店，他们有让你试吃巧克力。

J: Free samples? Let's go back now! We're so silly.

(Enter "You're My Funny Valentine" by Tony Bennett)

1 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

2 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

6 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

7 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

8 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。