Dialogue 1
Jingjing: Hey Mark, can I get some advice from you?
京晶：嗨，馬克，能給我點建議嗎？
Mark: Sure. I hope I can help. What's up?
馬克：當然。希望我能幫上忙。有什么事？
Jingjing: Well, two of my friends are having birthdays soon. And I'm invited to both of their parties.
京晶：是這樣的，我的兩個好朋友馬上要過生日了。他們都邀請了我去參加他們的生日派對。
Mark: Ok. I think you should go to both parties. You'll have yourself a time.
馬克：知道了。我覺得兩個都該去。輕輕松松去玩就行了。
Jingjing: Um, I'll go if I have time. That's not my question. What should I give as a present?
京晶：呃，有時間我會去的。這個不是我想問的呢，我想問我應該送什么禮物好呢？
Mark: Oh, got it. Are your friends Chinese, or from overseas?
馬克：哦，明白了。你的朋友是中國人還是外國人呢？
Jingjing: One is Chinese, and the other is Canadian. That's why I'm asking you.
京晶：一位是中國人，另一位是加拿大人。所以我請教你嘛。
Mark: Well, there are not that many cultural differences about gifts. Besides, I don't know of anything like green hats or clocks that you'd want to avoid giving Canadians.
馬克：好，在送禮上并沒有那么多文化差異。另外我并沒有聽說送加拿大人禮物會忌諱像避免送綠色的帽子或鐘這樣的。
Jingjing: Ok. So, what do you think is a good gift in general?
京晶：好的。那么，你認為通常什么東西算得上一份好禮物呢?
Mark: Do you know the person very well?
馬克：你和這個人很熟嗎？
Jingjing: Not that well—otherwise I'd know what to give.
京晶：算不上那么熟吧，否則我就知道該送什么了。
Mark: Right. Then you've got to keep in mind that there'll be people at the party who are counting more than you on giving a very special gift. I'd suggest giving something valuable but not too remarkable.
馬克：好吧。那你得時刻記住在派對上總有些人比你和主人家關系更近的人會送出更特別的禮物。我建議你送些有價值卻不太貴重的東西。
Jingjing: Well, I wasn't thinking of giving her a Faberge egg.
京晶: 我也沒想過送給她一個奢侈的費伯奇彩蛋。
(注：完美呈現具有百年歷史淵源的俄羅斯蛋(Faberge egg),在純手工繁復的彩繪下,加上以田園美麗風景為設計靈感,彷佛感覺春天微風氣息拂面而來清新動人耀眼十足的美麗光芒非常高貴精致)
Mark: Good thinking. You want to give something that can get used up, not something the birthday girl will have to keep for more than a year.
馬克：好點子。你可以送一些能用完的東西，而不是過生日的姑娘還得保留一年以上的東西。
Jingjing: By that rationale, a watermelon would be a good gift.
京晶: 按你的思路，西瓜就是一個很好的禮物。
Mark: Well, one that you brought back with you on a trip to the southern hemisphere this time of year might be thoughtful, though dates or nuts would still be better.
馬克：好吧，如果是這個時節你從南半球旅行帶回來的西瓜，那可能會很有心，但大棗或者堅果應該更好點。
Jingjing: Hmm, what other advice can you give.
京晶: 嗯，還有其他建議嗎？
Mark: I have lots more ideas.
馬克：我還有很多點子呢。

New words : 習語短語
have yourself a time (verb phrase, idiom) 放輕松 請隨意
have a good time, take it easy
good thinking 好主意 好見解
good idea
by that rationale 按照（你的）那個思路
according to your idea, ...

Dialogue 2
Jingjing: Ok. So you were going to give me some more advice about birthday gifts for my friend.
京晶: 那么關于給朋友送生日禮物你即將給我更多的建議。
Mark: Right. Principle one was to give something useful that can be used up. Principle two is that good things come in small packages.
馬克：對。原則一就是送一些可以用完的但又有用的東西。原則二就是小包裝都是好東西。
Jingjing: I agree with you there. What do you think of a gift card for a coffee shop or a bakery?
京晶: 我同意你剛說的。你覺得咖啡店或面包房的禮品卡怎么樣?
Mark: That's a good gift for a boss to give an employee at the office.
馬克：那通常是老板送給辦公室員工的好禮物。
Jingjing: We don't work together, though she is a former colleague.
京晶: 現在我們沒有在一起工作。但她是我以前的同事。
Mark: Well, it might be a good idea, still. I'd like to bounce some more ideas off of you first, though.
馬克：這仍然可能是個好主意。不過，我想首先跟你探討一下（多聽聽你的想法）。
Jingjing: Great, that's what I was hoping for.
京晶: 太好了，這正是我期待的。
Mark: What do you think about giving cosmetics? It's the dry winter season here. Everybody can do well with some extra moisturizer or hand cream.
馬克：你覺得送化妝品怎么樣? 現在這里正是干燥的冬季。每個人都可以再來點兒保濕滋潤霜或護手霜。
Jingjing: Good idea, but I remember her being picky about brands. I don't want to spend a lot of money on something she might not appreciate.
京晶: 好主意，但我記得她對品牌很挑剔。我不想花好多錢買些她可能不喜歡的東西。
Mark: Yeah, a good moisturizer runs two or three hundred. I still think hand cream would be okay, because it'd only cost 150yuan for one that's probably better than what she uses now.
馬克：是啊，一個比較好的滋潤霜得賣兩三百。我還是認為護手霜就好，因為你只需要花150元買一個就可能比她現在正在用的質量好的。
Jingjing: That's about my price range. Anything else you want to run by me?
京晶: 這價格在我可承受的范圍之內。還有其他建議給我嗎？
Mark: So, principle three is keep it simple. Hand cream is simple. So is something like a wireless mouse. Everybody uses those.
馬克：原則三就是從簡法則。護手霜很簡單。類似無線鼠標的東西也是如此。每個人都會用到那些。
Jingjing: Yeah, but I thought you said it should be something she could use up.
京晶: 是啊，但我以為你說的是應該送她能用完的東西。
Mark: Oh, right. Oops. A wireless mouse might not be ideal.
馬克：哦, 對。哎呦！無線鼠標可能不太理想。
Jingjing: Actually, she's a workaholic. She might like a mouse, coming from a former colleague.
京晶: 實際上，她是個工作狂。她可能會喜歡一個前同事送給她的鼠標。
Mark: You could always bring both gifts, wrapped nicely, and decide when you arrive.
馬克：你可以把兩份禮物都帶上，精美包裝好，然后等到達了后再決定送哪個。
Jingjing: That's a good idea, especially if she unwraps them there and I see she got one of those already.
京晶: 這是一個好主意，尤其是她當場拆禮物，我剛好看到別人已經送了她一個時。
Mark: And you could always use the other one yourself, or keep it wrapped and give it at the next party.
馬克：而且你隨時可以自己用剩下那個，或者留著包裝，下次聚會時再送出去。
Jingjing: Ha ha! That's killing two birds with one stone!
京晶: 哈哈！一箭雙雕！

New words : 習語短語
bounce some ideas off <someone> (verbphrase) 向某人征求意見
make a suggestion for a person, without the person having to take thesuggestion too seriously (often-times, the person being asked does not have toapply the suggestion himself/herself)
price range (noun) 可接受的價位區間
what someone is willing to pay for something, from the lowest to the highest acceptable price
run <something> by <someone> (phrasal verb) 向某人請示某事把 (某事) 告訴 (某人) 以征求意見
make a suggestion for a person, to see if it's an OK idea (this isoften-times used when an employee asks his/her boss if something is OKaccording to company policy)
killing two birds with one stone (proverb) 一箭雙雕
do one thing, but get two things done