Mike: Please don't insult me like that－this is a far cry from the kind of elevator music they play at your average coffee shop. For your information, I'm listening to my favorite jazz CD, by the saxophone player Sonny Rollins.

Amanda: I guess I just don't know very much about jazz music. I mean, it always makes me feel really relaxed when I hear some jazz playing in the background, but it's hard for me to tell what makes one song better than another.

Mike: Well, I'm no expert either, but what impresses me the most about a good jazz group is the way the musicians are able to improvise together. That's why no two performances of a song are exactly the same.

Amanda: Wow, so they have to make it up as they go along? That's amazing!

Mike: It sure is. In the end, though, I think the best jazz songs are full of feeling. For instance, the song that's playing now is called "St. Thomas." Listen. Doesn't it make you feel all happy and summery, as though you've been transported to a tropical island?

Amanda: Hey, you're right－it does! That's pretty neat!

jazz  (n.)   爵士Jazz is one of many musical forms that were first invented by African Americans.

to insult  (v.)   侮辱；羞辱I tried not to lose my temper with Danny, but then he insulted my mother.

expert  (n.)   专家We weren't sure how much the gems we found were worth, so we decided to ask an expert.

to improvise  (v.)   即兴创作；即兴表演One of Kobe Bryant's main talents as a basketball player is his ability to improvise.

summery  (adj.)   夏季的；如夏季的Even though it was the middle of December, Heidi was in the mood for a summery drink like a margarita.

elevator music   （商店或公共场所播放的）乏味音乐A: I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed by a concert.

B: I know! We expected rock and roll, and instead what we heard was elevator music.

for your information   告诉你无妨；提供给你参考A: Do you need me to lend you some money so you can buy new jeans? Yours have huge holes in them!

B: For your information, these are expensive designer jeans, and they're supposed to have holes!

in the background   背景；幕后A: Should we study at the library or at a coffee shop?

B: The library. I like going to coffee shops, but all the people talking in the background make it hard to concentrate.