商务礼节美语第75期:万圣节前夕(1)

　　Lenny下班等公车遇到同事Susan , 问Susan明天要装扮成什么，问得Susan一头雾水。
Lenny: Hey Susan, what are you coming as this year?
Susan: Coming as?
L: Yeah...for Halloween! We have a big office party tomorrow evening. There's a prize for best costume!
S: Um...I have to confess¹, I haven't given it much thought. I'm from China and Halloween really isn't celebrated² there.
原来是公司明天晚上要开万圣节派对，万圣节是Halloween 又称鬼节，是美国最热闹的节日之一。Susan 说，I have to confess. confess 是主动交代的意思，Susan 说自己没怎么好好想。I haven't given it much thought. to give some thought to something 指对某事认真考虑，Susan说，中国不过万圣节，这里用的 celebrate 是庆祝的意思，可以说 Halloween is not celebrated in China; 也可以说 We don't celebrate Halloween in China. 主动，被动都可以。
L: Really! You don't have some kind of Chinese ghost festival?
S: Oh...Sure. We have an entire month! In traditional Chinese culture, "Ghost Month" is a period when the door between this world and beyond opens up and ghosts come back to earth for a visit.
L: Cool! A whole month! What do you do during that month?
S: Well, people sometimes set off firecrackers, some people burn paper money as an offering and many people go to a temple to burn incense³.
Mainly though, you need to feed the ghosts because they're hungry.
Susan说，中国虽然不过万圣节，但是农历里却有整整一个月来祭奠阴间来访的鬼，称为鬼月。祭奠的方式包括放鞭炮 set off firecrackers，烧纸钱burn paper money，到寺庙里去烧香等，但是最重要的是要把饿鬼喂饱。
L: Feed them?
S: Yeah...we set up tables with food, fruit and drinks and offer that to the hungry ghosts.
L: And then later everyone eats the food?
S: Yes! How did you guess that?
L: It makes sense, right? Who else is going to eat it?
S: Good Point!
L: But no dressing⁴ up like ghosts, right?
S: No! (chuckle) So...is Halloween essentially⁵ the same thing as "ghost month?"
Susan说，鬼月的时候，大家会在桌子上摆放食物，水果，饮料等等，进奉给饿鬼。不过，在中国过鬼月，不用装扮成鬼的样子，people don't dress up like ghosts. dress up 可以指穿成某种样子，也可以指穿得很正式，比如, I dressed up for a job interview today. 意思是我今天有个工作面试，所以穿正装。那中国的鬼月跟西方的鬼节一样吗？我们下次继续听。

1 confess   

vt.承认，坦白；vi.承认，坦白，忏悔

参考例句：

• Many Christians regularly confess their guilty actions and thoughts to a priest.很多基督徒都定期向牧师忏悔他们的罪行和恶念。
• I confess to some suspicion of your honesty.我承认对你的诚实有所怀疑。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

4 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。