英语听力精选进阶版 7042

(At the coffee shop)

Rob: Hello and welcome to Authentic¹ Real English. Hi, Feifei. I saved this table for us. This is my favourite coffee shop.

Feifei: Hi, Rob. Thanks for inviting² me to have breakfast with you. It's nice to have the first meal of the day in the company of a colleague before going to the office.

Rob: Yes, indeed. Come on, let's chew the fat.

Feifei: Ah, you won't catch me this time! I know what you mean by 'chew the fat'!

Rob: Every language has some expressions that have a literal meaning and a figurative one. I'm glad you've heard this one before.

Feifei: 在英语里，短语 chew the fat 意思是友好的闲聊，聊天。聊的内容很随便没什么正经事儿，说说闲话。

Rob: Yes. It's a casual conversation, like the one we might have now, over breakfast.

Feifei: But first, let's hear some examples of how to use the expression 'chew the fat'.

I don't want arguments at the dinner table! Let's not talk about football or politics – let’s just chew the fat about other things.

Mary left the company two years ago but she's always around chewing the fat with her old colleagues.

Rob: So now you know what 'chew the fat' means. Let's enjoy some fat. I took the liberty of ordering some food for you and it's on its way now.

Waitress: And here you have two plates of your typical English breakfast, as you ordered, sir.

Rob: Thank you. Mmmmm - that smells delicious! Come on, Feifei, tuck in while it's still hot.

Feifei: Oh Rob. It looks nice but it's a lot of food. Fried egg, cooked mushrooms, half a tomato, a lot of bacon…

Rob: Yes. It is our typical fry-up.

Feifei: I like eggs and tomato but… there's a lot of fat here.

Rob: Come on, just chew the fat! It's very cold outside and there's nothing like a hearty³ meal to start the day full of energy.

Feifei: Well, it is really cold and the meal smells nice. Maybe eating a bit of fat occasionally won't make me… well… fat.

Rob: Come on, let's chew the fat. I've heard that John hired a new secretary. He's got one already. Why does he need two?

Feifei: I know. And she doesn't have much to do anyway… Mmmmm… this bacon is really crispy. Let's chew the fat. Bye.

Rob: Bye. Mmmmm. Glorious greasy⁴ food! Mmmmm…

1 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

2 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

3 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

4 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。