評(píng)論
打印
Jim在走廊上碰見同事Gary。
Jim: Gary, did you hear about my upcoming trip to New York?
Gary: I think I did hear something about it. You and Henry are attending some kind of function, right?
J: Yeah. It's an anniversary celebration for one of the companies we do a lot of work with, you know, Walcon Electronics.
G: Right! Walcon is one of our biggest clients.
J: It's Walcon's 120th anniversary and they're throwing a big party.
Jim馬上要出差，到紐約去。Gary說，他聽說了Jim的 upcoming trip. upcoming is spelled u-p-c-o-m-i-n-g, upcoming, upcoming是即將發(fā)生的意思，Gary還知道，他們這次是要去參加什么活動(dòng)，function 在這里指正式的社交活動(dòng)。公司最大的客戶之一 Walcon Electronics 慶祝成立120周年，they're throwing a big party. 他們要辦個(gè)大派對(duì)。英語里說辦派對(duì)，經(jīng)常會(huì)用動(dòng)詞 throw, t-h-r-o-w, throw.
G: Walcon Electronics is 120 years old?
J: Yep. They started out as a shoe manufacturer and then branched off into electronics in the late 1960s.
G: That's a big change, moving from shoes to electronics. But you have to give the company's founder credit for thinking ahead.
J: Absolutely. Today they're one of the world's top home electronics brands.
G: Well, you'll have fun. New York is always a great place to visit.
J: Yeah, but I'm a bit worried. I've never attended a function like this before. Look, here's the invitation.
Walcon電器公司最開始是生產(chǎn)鞋的，60年代才改行生產(chǎn)電器。這里用到的兩個(gè)動(dòng)詞詞組，一個(gè)是 start out 意思是起步，另外一個(gè)是 branch off 意思是改變前進(jìn)的方向。Gary 說，You have to give the company's founder credit for thinking ahead. 咱們不得不佩服這個(gè)公司創(chuàng)始人有遠(yuǎn)見，to give someone credit for something 意思是肯定某人的做法。紐約是個(gè)好玩的地方，可Jim卻很擔(dān)心，他拿請(qǐng)柬給Gary看。
G: Oh my! It's a black-tie event. That means you have to wear a tuxedo.
J: A tuxedo? I don't own a tux!
G: Not very many people do....you can rent one, though.
J: Oh wow. That means it's going to be a very formal event, huh?
G: A black-tie event is about as formal as it gets. Men wear tuxedos and ladies wear evening gowns.
J: What else should I expect?
G: There will probably be a band playing soft music. Waiters will walk around serving drinks. Most of the guests will mainly stand around socializing with each other.
原來，這次活動(dòng)是 a black-tie event參加者要穿禮服、打黑領(lǐng)結(jié)的正式活動(dòng)，男賓要穿燕尾服，tuxedo, tuxedo is spelled t-u-x-e-d-o, tuxedo, 女賓要穿 evening gown 晚禮服。Gary說，A black-tie event is about as formal as it gets. 這基本上要算是最正規(guī)的活動(dòng)了。as....as it gets 是指最徹底的表現(xiàn)，兩個(gè)as之間加形容詞。Jim會(huì)喜歡這種活動(dòng)嗎？
n. 功能，函數(shù)，職務(wù)，重大聚會(huì)
vi. 運(yùn)行
