公司副总裁Jason到上海出差，由Gina接待。Jason让Gina帮忙选礼物。
Jason: Hey! You know what might be good gifts for my business associates? Chinese antiques! 嘿，你知道什么是礼物适合给我的工作伙伴吗？中国的古董？
G: Well, we certainly have lots of antique art, statues and carvings, but in most cases it's not legal to take genuine antiques out of China. 嗯，我们是有很多中国古代的艺术品，雕塑和雕刻品，但是大多情况从中国带走真的古董是不合法的。
J: Oh, I see. That makes sense. You have to preserve your heritage. 哦，我知道了。这是有道理的。你们应该保护好你们的历史遗产。
G: But there are many reproductions of antiques for sale. 但是有很多复制品可以买。
J: you mean fakes? 你是说假货吗？
G: A fake is when the dealer lies and says the piece is ancient. A reproduction is legal and they can be quite beautiful. You could take home some classical Chinese statutes as decorations for their offices. 假货是指商人欺骗你说那是真的古董。复制品是合法的，它们看上去像真的也很漂亮。你可以挑一些经典的中国雕塑作为装饰品送给你的工作伙伴们。
Jason想给同事买中国古董antiques做礼物，但是Gina告诉他，古董不能带出中国，建议Jason考虑买reproduction，复制品。Jason以为Gina是指fake假货，Gina解释说，fake,假货是商人故意欺骗顾客，以假乱真，而复制品则是合法生产和出售的。
J: Yeah! That would look cool. Maybe some scrolls or traditional paintings. 是啊！那样很酷。也许一些书法作品和中国国画。
G: Good idea. Scrolls with Chinese cursive calligraphy look great on an office wall. And...they might even bring you luck! 好主意。草书的中国书法作品挂在办公室墙上很气派。并且，它们会给你带来好运的。
J: You can't beat that! But what about the kids? 这是最棒的了！那给孩子买什么呢？
G: Humm...that's a bit trickier. There are of course, lots of counterfeit goods available like software or music, but buying them isn't recommended. 嗯……这可有些麻烦。当然有给孩子买的东西，很多盗版的东西，比如盗版软件或者音乐，但是不是很推荐买这些东西。
J: No, I don't buy counterfeits. Besides...my sons have loads of computer games and CDs. 不，我不买盗版的东西。另外，我的儿子们有太多的游戏光盘了。
Gina建议Jason买中国国画或是书法作品，挂在办公室墙上很气派，但是给孩子买什么礼物呢，Gina说, that's a bit trickier. 这可有些麻烦。Jason说，他不愿意给儿子买盗版软件或音乐，counterfeit is spelled c-o-u-n-t-e-r-f-e-i-t, counterfeit, counterfeit, 是盗版的意思。
G: Hey! I know. You could have old-style Chinese suits custom-made for them! They can go around looking like little Chinese emperors! I know a great tailor! 嘿，我知道了！你可以买中国传统的服装，根据身材特制的那种。他们可以穿着那些衣服出去玩，看上去像小皇帝！我知道一个很好的裁缝！
J：Ha! Perfect! They'd like that for sure. Wow Gina... You're full of great ideas. I should tell your boss to give you a raise. 哈！太棒了！他们一定会很喜欢的。哇，吉娜，你的主意真不错。我应该告诉你的老板给你涨工资。
G: But you are my boss! 但是你就是我的老板啊!
J: (Chuckle) Right! Then I'll make a note to myself! Really though... I can't thank you enough for all your help. （咯咯笑）对的！我要自己记录下来！尽管这样……我还是完全表达我的谢意。
G: Not at all. Just demonstrating some traditional Chinese hospitality. 小事。只是表现一下中国人的好客传统罢了。
Gina突然来了灵感，说可以找裁缝给孩子量身定做中国的传统衣服，custom-made，是定做的意思，把他们打扮成中国小皇帝的样子。Jason对Gina的建议非常满意，说要告诉Gina的老板，给她涨工资，give someone a raise，是给某人涨工资的意思。Gina笑。着提醒Jason说，你就是我的老板啊，我不过是表现一下中国人的传统好客罢了 |