【话匣子英语】感恩节

感恩节在加拿大是个重要的节日，人们会在这一天举行各种派对。对于单身狗们来说，参加这样的派对还是很有意义的.....

Maura: So, how do people spend Valentine’s Day? I really think there are two kinds of people: people who like to celebrate Valentine’s Day and then people who really don’t give a hoot¹.

 

Harp²: Yeah, you’re right. There are only two ways about it: either you celebrate and maybe you go on a romantic date to a restaurant, or there are the people who think that it’s just commercial and they don’t do anything special.

 

Maura: Mmhmm. So, if you’re one of those people who does like Valentine’s Day, what people normally³ do in Canada is go out to dinner, spend a special evening together, they might buy each other gifts.

 

Harp: Yup. There are usually flowers involved. It’s the typical Hallmark idea of romance⁴.

 

Maura: Well, it sounds like you think it’s a commercial holiday when you say the typical Hallmark idea.

 

Harp: I do. I think it’s really made to just encourage people to spend money.

 

Maura: Right. This is something that people might think about many holidays; that it is commercial, which means that a holiday is created so that people spend money, so that people buy things, buy decorations, buy presents.

 

Harp: I think if you love people, you should be celebrating every day, and that doesn’t mean having to spend money, but just appreciating the people in your life.

 

Maura: I agree. So, I’m wondering, even though you think it’s a commercial holiday, have you ever celebrated⁵ Valentine’s Day?

 

Harp: Hmm… Nope, I don’t think I’ve ever really celebrated. I have never been to a restaurant or gone out for dinner on Valentine’s Day, but I have received flowers. I remember one of my friends threw a Valentine’s Day party, but it had nothing to do with Valentine’s Day. It was just a party for all our friends.

 

Maura: I think it can be fun to go for dinner and do something special, but I also think Valentine’s Day is often a bigger holiday for people who are single, because it gets them looking for who might be out there or it maybe gives them the opportunity to ask someone on a date, or go to a party with other single people. That’s when it’s most exciting, when you might think, “Oh, maybe I’m gonna meet someone.”

 

Harp: Yup. I think you might be right about that. And I think if you’re single, you’re also thinking, “Oh, I don’t have someone special to spend the day with” when it seems most of the people I know who are in couples, who are in relationships, don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day.

 

Maura: Maybe we’re just old and crotchety now

 

1 hoot   

n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭

参考例句：

• The sudden hoot of a whistle broke into my thoughts.突然响起的汽笛声打断了我的思路。
• In a string of shrill hoot of the horn sound,he quickly ran to her.在一串尖声鸣叫的喇叭声中，他快速地跑向她。

2 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

3 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。

4 romance   

n.恋爱关系，浪漫气氛，爱情小说，传奇

参考例句：

• She wrote a romance about an artist's life in Tokyo.她写了一个关于一位艺术家在东京生活的浪漫故事。
• They tried to rekindle the flames of romance.他们试图重燃爱火。

5 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。