【生詞預覽】

fascinated著迷，elegant精美的，calligraphy書法，cocktail雞尾酒

【笑話原文】

Cheap but Good

My wife was fascinated by the elegant calligraphy on the hand-written menu in a Chinese restaurant. She took it home and spent months knitting a sweater with Chinese characters in the front. She was wearing it at a cocktail party when a Chinese physician asked where she got the symbols.

“From a menu,” she admitted. “Do you know what they say?”

“I’m afraid to ask,” my wife said, “but tell me anyway.”

“Cheap but good.”

【中文譯文】

價廉物美

我的妻子被中國餐館的手寫菜單上優美的書法迷住了。她把菜單帶回家，花了幾個月的時間織了一件毛衣，把中國字織在胸前。她穿著這件毛衣參加一個雞尾酒會。一位中國醫生問她是在哪里搞到這個圖樣。她承認是從菜單上描下來的。醫生問：“你知道這些字什么意思嗎？”我的妻子說：“我沒敢問。你告訴我吧。”中國醫生說：“價廉物美。”

【詞匯講解】

1.fascinate使著迷。be fascinated with history深深愛上歷史學科。She fascinated him into marring her.她弄得他神魂顛倒而終于娶了她。還有“懾住”的意思：The serpent fascinated its prey.那條蛇懾住了它要捕食的動物。

2.elegant精美的。an elegant dress漂亮雅致的女服；lead a life of elegant ease過著優裕閑適的生活。也可以指“簡潔的”：an elegant piece of reasoning簡要明確的論證

3.calligraphy書法、筆跡。learn Chinese calligraphy學中國書法；be inscribed on a plaque in sb.’s caligraphy按某人的手跡刻印與一塊匾額上。

4.knit編織。除此之外，knit還有很多意思，比如“使癒合”：knit broken bones使折骨癒合；“皺眉”：knit one’s brows in thought緊鎖雙眉思索；“締結”：knit an agreement訂立協議

5.cocktail雞尾酒。也可以作及物動詞，意為“舉行雞尾酒會”：They lionized and cocktailed the young author.他們給那青年作家捧場，并為他舉行雞尾酒會。

6.physician醫生。也可以指“撫慰者、解除痛苦者”：a physician of the soul心靈的撫慰者。