賴世雄高級24課
Hi, everybody, welcome again to Radio English on Sunday.
This is Bruce,
/ and this is Peter.
/ join us today, unit twenty four. We are not going to be so busy today. We feel like taking a break. But, is it a coffee break or a tea break? Let's read through the first paragraph and find out which one. Please listen carefully.
Do you prefer a coffee break or a tea break? Are you getting off the list at the ground floor, or are you going to get off the elevator on the first floor? Travelers to English-speaking countries have to adjust to differences between British English and American English. There are also cultural traditions to understand, ways of life which differ between London and New York, Auckland and Toronto, and Sydney and San Francisco. Learning these differences is fun, and when you travel to different English-speaking countries, it's very useful.
We often think of the word "English" as one language, but of course all major languages have many dialects. Generally speaking, there are two major dialects of English throughout the world, British English and American English. But even in British English, you do find some differences as you travel between the UK, Australia and New Zealand, where British English is normally spoken, and even between the Canadians and Americans, although they live right next to each other, you can find a few differences in how they use, what is basically American English. So as you travel, you'll have to adjust to some differences, but for me anyway, I think it's a little bit fun to learn the differences, whether we are talking about different Chinese dialects, or different English dialects.
/ Right, and also for those who want to interpret some time in future, perhaps you have to learn all kinds of dialects in terms of English, I mean, not necessarily those who from USA or Great UK, but from other countries as well. For example, from the Philippines, people over there actually speak English and very uhh...I don't know how to use this word "strange" but very unusual way, ok, for example, ...( Peter speaks in a very heavy-accented English).
/ Wherever English is spoken, it is spoken with an accent; we should never forget that, and it's ok, it's fine. As far as I am concerned, it can be fun.
/ Yes.
Let's continue, and finish up page one hundred ninety seven as we move along.
So, what is a coffee or a tea break? Americans and Canadians prefer coffee drinking to tea drinking. Tea lovers need not worry, though, millions of North Americans drink tea and only tea every day. Though teahouses are rare there, every supermarket has a wild variety of far Eastern, South Asian, and herbal teas to choose from. Still, coffee is the preferred drink in the Americas; After all, South America is one of the world's great coffee-producing areas. One social custom in the US and Canada is the mid-morning and mid-afternoon coffee break. This is very informal; it maybe spontaneous, hey, let's break for coffee, or institutionalized. The coffee break in our office is from three thirty to three fifty daily. Coffee or tea may be drunk only, or more likely, a selection of baked goods such as doughnuts, cookies, slices of cake, or crackers, will be available, too. These breaks are not only for eating and drinking, but also for chatting.
___________spontaneous, adj, --> natural, instinctive, automatic,
adj.
Happening or arising without apparent external cause; self-generated.
自然產(chǎn)生的非由顯然的外力誘發(fā)或產(chǎn)生的；自我生成的
Arising from a natural inclination or impulse and not from external incitement or constraint.
內(nèi)在沖動的由于自然傾向或沖動且非外部刺激或者強(qiáng)制而引起的
Unconstrained and unstudied in manner or behavior.
無約束的，不須學(xué)習(xí)的在儀表或行為上無約束或無須學(xué)習(xí)的
Growing without cultivation or human labor; indigenous.
自然生長的不用耕作或人類勞動而生長的；天生的
adj.
自發(fā)的, 一時(shí)沖動的
天然發(fā)生[產(chǎn)生]的, 不依賴人工的
本能的, 自動的
(文體等)自然而優(yōu)雅的
a spontaneous expression of admiration
自發(fā)的贊美之辭
spontaneous growth of willow
柳樹的自然生長
spontaneous recovery from a disease
病的自然痊愈
adj
自然的；自發(fā)的； 自然產(chǎn)生的
The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.
火山爆發(fā)是自發(fā)的。
Now we find out about coffee and tea breaks. First we take a look at North Americans who prefer coffee drinking, so they often use the term "a coffee break". Don't forget, South America produces probably most of the world's coffee, and North Americans are probably the largest market for coffee. So South Americans export a great deal of coffee, north to North America where it is drunk, especially at coffee breaks. A mid-morning and mid-afternoon coffee break in most offices is common; and not only coffee is drunk, but baked goods. Here we have a long list of them, are often eaten as the coffee is drunk, and there is a lot of office talk or chatting going on during these breaks.
/ Right. They say coffee comes in different tastes, for example, they have bought called "Blue Mountain" and so so the "Java". What on earth is the difference between them?
/ 爪哇豆子..these are black beans and very bitter; that's my favorite coffee. I am surprised you mentioned that one. I don't add sugar or cream to my coffee; I like coffee black and bitter. To me, these Asian beans are much stronger than the South American beans like Blue Mountain that you mentioned, or "Gemakon" coffee. The African and Asian beans is (are?) much stronger than the South American beans.
/ How would you like your coffee? I'd like my coffee black and bitter. I'd like it with cream and sugar.
/ Or sometimes sugar only or cream only.
Alright. Let's find out about how other English-speaking people prefer tea to coffee, when now on page one hundred and ninety eight.
0734
In Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia, people prefer a spot of tea during their tea break in their mid-morning or mid-afternoon, and later on at home, they have high tea in the early evening. High tea consists of a light, cold meal or baked goods, followed by a more substantial meal later in the evening. Tea breaks may be formal in homes, with the silver tray filled with tea cups on saucers. A silver bowl with sugar, and a silver pitcher with cream, brought into a living room, dining room or drawing room. Baked goods are also served at tea breaks. In both the UK and the US, as well as in other English-speaking countries, most people eat three full meals daily, but stopping for coffee or tea breaks has also become customary.
So now we find the different custom from the North Americans who may stop once in the morning and once again in the afternoon for a coffee break. In the UK, New Zealand and Australia, tea is a more popular drink, and there will be a tea break in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon, and it is also something called high tea, which is usually had about four to six o'clock in the afternoon, that's a very simple meal, or just tea with baked goods. And later on in the evening, they will have dinner or supper. And like other Europeans, they tend to eat their biggest meal later in the evening. In some countries like Spain, they don't have dinner until ten pm, or even later. That's a more European custom. Americans usually eat their dinner between five and seven o'clock pm.
/ This is a culture background. This paragraph features tea, but it's also interesting to know the origins of the word "tea". One of them actually has to do with our province, Fujian, ...however, basically "tea" has two kinds of tea, green tea and black tea. (紅茶， 可不叫red tea)
/ I think that is "black tea"...I am not a tea drinker. :P
/ Yeah, you are right. Actually "black tea" is that "red tea".
/ The "black tea" here does not meal "黑色" here; it just means dark. Right. It's much darker than green tea, which is a clear tea, almost yellow color.
/ Yeah, but they also say that there is evidence show that drinking green tea can help get rid of the risk of getting cancels or something.
/ Really?
/ Yeah.
/..perhaps it's not so strong as ..the green tea is not so strong as black tea, and that's not so strong as coffee. Coffee has two types.
/ ..that's the other way around, I am sorry, black tea is not as strong as green tea.
/ Oh?
/ Right.
/ Oh, really?
/ Right.
/ Uhh-huh. Coffee, the South American bean is much lighter than Asian, African bean.
Well, let's continue to talk about other differences between British and American ways of life. Now we are no longer talking about coffee and tea this paragraph.
/ a cup of tea, a cup of coffee, 因?yàn)樗鼈兪菬岬摹Ｈ绻潜?，用a glass of, milk, 一個(gè)習(xí)慣用法。
還有一個(gè)用法， (sth) is not my cup of tea,
/ That means either you don't like it or you are not very familiar with it. You prefer not to do it; you prefer not to eat or drink it.
/ 通常用在 negative sentence 里。
/ It's not my cup of tea.
_________it's not to my liking.
/ Ok, let's say..uhh, it's a hot summer day, and you feel a little bit tired and of course very hot, and someone says, hey, why don't we go down to the beach and have a swim?
Ah, that's just my cup of tea, would be used in a positive way. Or if someone suggested, let's go mountain hiking today, but you feel tired and hot, then you would answer, "that's not my cup of tea. I want to stay home in the air conditioning. "
/ I see. So it can also be used in a positive sentence, but usually it is used in a negative sentence.
/ Right.
Ok, let's continue now. Again, some differences in lifestyles between British and American ways of life.
Another useful difference to understand between the British and American ways of life concerns traffic, which is of the utmost importance to travelers or visitors. In London, one takes the underground, whereas in New York, it's the subway, whether or not traveling below the ground. Streetcars are taken in American cities, but trams are found in Britain. Make sure you fill up with gas at the gas station in Miami, but in Manchester, you should top of the tank with petrol at the petrol station. Not sure whether you need oil? Check under the bonnet in Bristol but the hood in Houston. Check your wing mirror in Wales but your side mirror in Rochester. And watch out for those traffic circles in Tampa, but those roundabouts in Reading.
Here we have some cute differences especially about cars and traffic between British-speaking English speakers and American-speaking American English speakers. Some have to do with, for example, the underground, that is 地鐵, in Britain they call it the underground, but subway..
/..
/ Uhh-huh. The subway in America. I think in Canada they also call it the subway, but in British English-speaking countries they call it the underground. Then we say streetcars or simply buses in the US, but trams in Britain. We say gas, but they say petrol. And parts of the car, are all different? and then traffic circle, if you are in an American city, but a "roundabout" in a British English-speaking country.
/ I see. I have to make a correction over here about myself, because I just said the underground ..就是指的地鐵. 地下道叫underpass, 天橋叫overpass, 與 take 連用。take the underpass, or take the overpass. If you (lock) across the street, it can cause some danger.
/ Right. Well, let's finish up. This will take us over to page one hundred ninety nine.
It should not surprise anyone that British and American English are a little different grammatically. Americans say "I don't have" and "I have a lot", but the British say " I haven't" and " I have much". Their pronunciation and vocabulary also differ. These should not be sources of (counternation) when you visit different Anglo countries, instead, they should be occasions for adventure and enjoyment. Just as Mandarin-speaking foreigners can manage their way through the various dialects of Mandarin spoken in Mainland China, so, too, should anyone versed in conversational English- of any stripe-succeed in having fun with different rules of English.
/ Thank you mate for your clear, you know, explanation.
/ "Mate" is Australian English for friend. Now I would say "mate" in American English, but down in (us, those he) down in Australia, they often say "mike", hi, mike. We would say, hey, friend, or hey, buddy, so as you travel from country to country, which speaks English, don't be surprised, you should get ready to hear many different vocabulary items and certainly different accents. Just as we told you here in the final paragraph.
/ ...
/ Well, here we also have some different grammatical structures. The British often say, " I haven't much money on me." But Americans would say, "I don't have much money with me." There are some minor differences, maybe ninety eight or ninety nine percent of our languages are the same at a standard level, but if you are talking about slang, I don't know how the kids in Britain communicate, I have no idea what they are saying, but then again I don't really understand what American kids are saying, either, when they speak their slang. So, my advice is don't even try to learn slang unless you are eighteen years old or sixteen years old, and you are going to be moving to an English-speaking country. If you are a professional person or an adult, you are not going to need slang at all. Always study the standard language, so that you can communicate with the most people, with the largest number of people under most social situations.
/ Also (goes a talking to you) you know that you are a foreigner, you will not use any slang expression.
/ Right. ..standard language with you.
/ slang, 不可數(shù). expression, 可數(shù)
slangy, adj,
I haven't the foggiest idea ...I don't know at all.
/ Well, now let's go back and repeat reading unit twenty four. This time just try to listen rather than read.
/ to be versed in, to be at home with, to excel at (in),
He's versed in painting,
He's at home with painting.
He excels in painting.
That's it for today's lesson. Join us next week.
__________________Pan. 2003. 8.
*********************************************************************************************************************8
Lesson 24
Coffee or tea break?
Do you prefer a coffee break or a tea break? Are you getting off the lift at the ground floor, or are you going to get off the elevator on the first floor? Travelers to English-speaking countries have to adjust to differences between British and American English. There are also cultural traditions to understand, ways of life which differ between London and New york, Auckland and Toronto, and Sydney and San Francisco. Learning these differences is fun, and, when you travel to different English-speaking countries, it's very useful.
So, what is a coffee or a tea break? Americans and Canadians prefer coffee drinking to tea drinking. Tea lovers need not worry, though; millions of North Americans drink tea and only tea every day. Though teahouses are rare there, every supermarket has a wide variety of Far Eastern, South Asian, and herbal teas to choose from. Still, coffee is the preferred drink in the Americas; after all, South America is one of the world's greatest coffee-producing areas. One social custom is the US and Canada is the mid-morning and mid-afternoon coffee break. This is very informal; it may be spontaneous (Hey! Let's break for coffee) or institutionalized (The coffee break in our office is from 3:30-3:50 daily). Coffee (or tea) may be drunk only, or, more likely, a selection of baked goods such as doughnuts, cookies, slices of cake, or crackers will be available, too. These breaks are not only for eating and drinking but also for chatting.
In Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia, people prefer a spot of tea during their tea break in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon, and later on at home, they have high tea in the early evening. High tea consists of a light, cold meal or baked goods, followed by a more substantial meal later in the evening. Tea breaks may be formal in homes, witha silver tray filled with tea cups on saucers, a silver bowl with sugar, and a silver pitcher with cream brought into a living room, dining room, or drawing room. Baked goods are also served at tea breaks. In both the UK and the US as well as in other English-speaking countries, most people eat three full meals daily, but stopping for coffee or tea breaks has also become customary.
Another useful difference to understand between the British and American ways of life concerns traffic, which is of the utmost importance to travelers or visitors. In London, one takes the underground, whereas in New York it's the subway (whether or not traveling below the ground). Streetcars are taken in American cities, but trams are found in Britain. Make sure you fill up with gas at the gas station in Miami, but in Manchester you should top up the tank with petrol at the petrol station. Not sure whether you need oil? Check under the bonnet in Bristol but the hood in Houston. Check your wing mirror in Wales but your side mirror in Rochester. And watch out for those traffic circles in Tampa but those roundabouts in Reading.
It should not surprise anyone that British and American English are a little different grammatically (Americans say, "I don't have" and "I have a lot" but the British say "I haven't" and "I have much"). Their pronunciation and vocabulary also differ. These should not be sources of consternation when you visit different Anglo countries; instead, they should be occasions for adventure and enjoyment. Just as Mandarin-speaking foreigners can manage their way through the various dialects of Mandarin spoken in mainland China, so, too, should anyone versed in conversational English---of any stripe---succeed in having fun witht he different worlds of English.
Hi, everybody, welcome again to Radio English on Sunday.
This is Bruce,
/ and this is Peter.
/ join us today, unit twenty four. We are not going to be so busy today. We feel like taking a break. But, is it a coffee break or a tea break? Let's read through the first paragraph and find out which one. Please listen carefully.
Do you prefer a coffee break or a tea break? Are you getting off the list at the ground floor, or are you going to get off the elevator on the first floor? Travelers to English-speaking countries have to adjust to differences between British English and American English. There are also cultural traditions to understand, ways of life which differ between London and New York, Auckland and Toronto, and Sydney and San Francisco. Learning these differences is fun, and when you travel to different English-speaking countries, it's very useful.
We often think of the word "English" as one language, but of course all major languages have many dialects. Generally speaking, there are two major dialects of English throughout the world, British English and American English. But even in British English, you do find some differences as you travel between the UK, Australia and New Zealand, where British English is normally spoken, and even between the Canadians and Americans, although they live right next to each other, you can find a few differences in how they use, what is basically American English. So as you travel, you'll have to adjust to some differences, but for me anyway, I think it's a little bit fun to learn the differences, whether we are talking about different Chinese dialects, or different English dialects.
/ Right, and also for those who want to interpret some time in future, perhaps you have to learn all kinds of dialects in terms of English, I mean, not necessarily those who from USA or Great UK, but from other countries as well. For example, from the Philippines, people over there actually speak English and very uhh...I don't know how to use this word "strange" but very unusual way, ok, for example, ...( Peter speaks in a very heavy-accented English).
/ Wherever English is spoken, it is spoken with an accent; we should never forget that, and it's ok, it's fine. As far as I am concerned, it can be fun.
/ Yes.
Let's continue, and finish up page one hundred ninety seven as we move along.
So, what is a coffee or a tea break? Americans and Canadians prefer coffee drinking to tea drinking. Tea lovers need not worry, though, millions of North Americans drink tea and only tea every day. Though teahouses are rare there, every supermarket has a wild variety of far Eastern, South Asian, and herbal teas to choose from. Still, coffee is the preferred drink in the Americas; After all, South America is one of the world's great coffee-producing areas. One social custom in the US and Canada is the mid-morning and mid-afternoon coffee break. This is very informal; it maybe spontaneous, hey, let's break for coffee, or institutionalized. The coffee break in our office is from three thirty to three fifty daily. Coffee or tea may be drunk only, or more likely, a selection of baked goods such as doughnuts, cookies, slices of cake, or crackers, will be available, too. These breaks are not only for eating and drinking, but also for chatting.
___________spontaneous, adj, --> natural, instinctive, automatic,
adj.
Happening or arising without apparent external cause; self-generated.
自然產(chǎn)生的非由顯然的外力誘發(fā)或產(chǎn)生的；自我生成的
Arising from a natural inclination or impulse and not from external incitement or constraint.
內(nèi)在沖動的由于自然傾向或沖動且非外部刺激或者強(qiáng)制而引起的
Unconstrained and unstudied in manner or behavior.
無約束的，不須學(xué)習(xí)的在儀表或行為上無約束或無須學(xué)習(xí)的
Growing without cultivation or human labor; indigenous.
自然生長的不用耕作或人類勞動而生長的；天生的
adj.
自發(fā)的, 一時(shí)沖動的
天然發(fā)生[產(chǎn)生]的, 不依賴人工的
本能的, 自動的
(文體等)自然而優(yōu)雅的
a spontaneous expression of admiration
自發(fā)的贊美之辭
spontaneous growth of willow
柳樹的自然生長
spontaneous recovery from a disease
病的自然痊愈
adj
自然的；自發(fā)的； 自然產(chǎn)生的
The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.
火山爆發(fā)是自發(fā)的。
Now we find out about coffee and tea breaks. First we take a look at North Americans who prefer coffee drinking, so they often use the term "a coffee break". Don't forget, South America produces probably most of the world's coffee, and North Americans are probably the largest market for coffee. So South Americans export a great deal of coffee, north to North America where it is drunk, especially at coffee breaks. A mid-morning and mid-afternoon coffee break in most offices is common; and not only coffee is drunk, but baked goods. Here we have a long list of them, are often eaten as the coffee is drunk, and there is a lot of office talk or chatting going on during these breaks.
/ Right. They say coffee comes in different tastes, for example, they have bought called "Blue Mountain" and so so the "Java". What on earth is the difference between them?
/ 爪哇豆子..these are black beans and very bitter; that's my favorite coffee. I am surprised you mentioned that one. I don't add sugar or cream to my coffee; I like coffee black and bitter. To me, these Asian beans are much stronger than the South American beans like Blue Mountain that you mentioned, or "Gemakon" coffee. The African and Asian beans is (are?) much stronger than the South American beans.
/ How would you like your coffee? I'd like my coffee black and bitter. I'd like it with cream and sugar.
/ Or sometimes sugar only or cream only.
Alright. Let's find out about how other English-speaking people prefer tea to coffee, when now on page one hundred and ninety eight.
0734
In Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia, people prefer a spot of tea during their tea break in their mid-morning or mid-afternoon, and later on at home, they have high tea in the early evening. High tea consists of a light, cold meal or baked goods, followed by a more substantial meal later in the evening. Tea breaks may be formal in homes, with the silver tray filled with tea cups on saucers. A silver bowl with sugar, and a silver pitcher with cream, brought into a living room, dining room or drawing room. Baked goods are also served at tea breaks. In both the UK and the US, as well as in other English-speaking countries, most people eat three full meals daily, but stopping for coffee or tea breaks has also become customary.
So now we find the different custom from the North Americans who may stop once in the morning and once again in the afternoon for a coffee break. In the UK, New Zealand and Australia, tea is a more popular drink, and there will be a tea break in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon, and it is also something called high tea, which is usually had about four to six o'clock in the afternoon, that's a very simple meal, or just tea with baked goods. And later on in the evening, they will have dinner or supper. And like other Europeans, they tend to eat their biggest meal later in the evening. In some countries like Spain, they don't have dinner until ten pm, or even later. That's a more European custom. Americans usually eat their dinner between five and seven o'clock pm.
/ This is a culture background. This paragraph features tea, but it's also interesting to know the origins of the word "tea". One of them actually has to do with our province, Fujian, ...however, basically "tea" has two kinds of tea, green tea and black tea. (紅茶， 可不叫red tea)
/ I think that is "black tea"...I am not a tea drinker. :P
/ Yeah, you are right. Actually "black tea" is that "red tea".
/ The "black tea" here does not meal "黑色" here; it just means dark. Right. It's much darker than green tea, which is a clear tea, almost yellow color.
/ Yeah, but they also say that there is evidence show that drinking green tea can help get rid of the risk of getting cancels or something.
/ Really?
/ Yeah.
/..perhaps it's not so strong as ..the green tea is not so strong as black tea, and that's not so strong as coffee. Coffee has two types.
/ ..that's the other way around, I am sorry, black tea is not as strong as green tea.
/ Oh?
/ Right.
/ Oh, really?
/ Right.
/ Uhh-huh. Coffee, the South American bean is much lighter than Asian, African bean.
Well, let's continue to talk about other differences between British and American ways of life. Now we are no longer talking about coffee and tea this paragraph.
/ a cup of tea, a cup of coffee, 因?yàn)樗鼈兪菬岬摹Ｈ绻潜?，用a glass of, milk, 一個(gè)習(xí)慣用法。
還有一個(gè)用法， (sth) is not my cup of tea,
/ That means either you don't like it or you are not very familiar with it. You prefer not to do it; you prefer not to eat or drink it.
/ 通常用在 negative sentence 里。
/ It's not my cup of tea.
_________it's not to my liking.
/ Ok, let's say..uhh, it's a hot summer day, and you feel a little bit tired and of course very hot, and someone says, hey, why don't we go down to the beach and have a swim?
Ah, that's just my cup of tea, would be used in a positive way. Or if someone suggested, let's go mountain hiking today, but you feel tired and hot, then you would answer, "that's not my cup of tea. I want to stay home in the air conditioning. "
/ I see. So it can also be used in a positive sentence, but usually it is used in a negative sentence.
/ Right.
Ok, let's continue now. Again, some differences in lifestyles between British and American ways of life.
Another useful difference to understand between the British and American ways of life concerns traffic, which is of the utmost importance to travelers or visitors. In London, one takes the underground, whereas in New York, it's the subway, whether or not traveling below the ground. Streetcars are taken in American cities, but trams are found in Britain. Make sure you fill up with gas at the gas station in Miami, but in Manchester, you should top of the tank with petrol at the petrol station. Not sure whether you need oil? Check under the bonnet in Bristol but the hood in Houston. Check your wing mirror in Wales but your side mirror in Rochester. And watch out for those traffic circles in Tampa, but those roundabouts in Reading.
Here we have some cute differences especially about cars and traffic between British-speaking English speakers and American-speaking American English speakers. Some have to do with, for example, the underground, that is 地鐵, in Britain they call it the underground, but subway..
/..
/ Uhh-huh. The subway in America. I think in Canada they also call it the subway, but in British English-speaking countries they call it the underground. Then we say streetcars or simply buses in the US, but trams in Britain. We say gas, but they say petrol. And parts of the car, are all different? and then traffic circle, if you are in an American city, but a "roundabout" in a British English-speaking country.
/ I see. I have to make a correction over here about myself, because I just said the underground ..就是指的地鐵. 地下道叫underpass, 天橋叫overpass, 與 take 連用。take the underpass, or take the overpass. If you (lock) across the street, it can cause some danger.
/ Right. Well, let's finish up. This will take us over to page one hundred ninety nine.
It should not surprise anyone that British and American English are a little different grammatically. Americans say "I don't have" and "I have a lot", but the British say " I haven't" and " I have much". Their pronunciation and vocabulary also differ. These should not be sources of (counternation) when you visit different Anglo countries, instead, they should be occasions for adventure and enjoyment. Just as Mandarin-speaking foreigners can manage their way through the various dialects of Mandarin spoken in Mainland China, so, too, should anyone versed in conversational English- of any stripe-succeed in having fun with different rules of English.
/ Thank you mate for your clear, you know, explanation.
/ "Mate" is Australian English for friend. Now I would say "mate" in American English, but down in (us, those he) down in Australia, they often say "mike", hi, mike. We would say, hey, friend, or hey, buddy, so as you travel from country to country, which speaks English, don't be surprised, you should get ready to hear many different vocabulary items and certainly different accents. Just as we told you here in the final paragraph.
/ ...
/ Well, here we also have some different grammatical structures. The British often say, " I haven't much money on me." But Americans would say, "I don't have much money with me." There are some minor differences, maybe ninety eight or ninety nine percent of our languages are the same at a standard level, but if you are talking about slang, I don't know how the kids in Britain communicate, I have no idea what they are saying, but then again I don't really understand what American kids are saying, either, when they speak their slang. So, my advice is don't even try to learn slang unless you are eighteen years old or sixteen years old, and you are going to be moving to an English-speaking country. If you are a professional person or an adult, you are not going to need slang at all. Always study the standard language, so that you can communicate with the most people, with the largest number of people under most social situations.
/ Also (goes a talking to you) you know that you are a foreigner, you will not use any slang expression.
/ Right. ..standard language with you.
/ slang, 不可數(shù). expression, 可數(shù)
slangy, adj,
I haven't the foggiest idea ...I don't know at all.
/ Well, now let's go back and repeat reading unit twenty four. This time just try to listen rather than read.
/ to be versed in, to be at home with, to excel at (in),
He's versed in painting,
He's at home with painting.
He excels in painting.
That's it for today's lesson. Join us next week.
__________________Pan. 2003. 8.
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Lesson 24
Coffee or tea break?
Do you prefer a coffee break or a tea break? Are you getting off the lift at the ground floor, or are you going to get off the elevator on the first floor? Travelers to English-speaking countries have to adjust to differences between British and American English. There are also cultural traditions to understand, ways of life which differ between London and New york, Auckland and Toronto, and Sydney and San Francisco. Learning these differences is fun, and, when you travel to different English-speaking countries, it's very useful.
So, what is a coffee or a tea break? Americans and Canadians prefer coffee drinking to tea drinking. Tea lovers need not worry, though; millions of North Americans drink tea and only tea every day. Though teahouses are rare there, every supermarket has a wide variety of Far Eastern, South Asian, and herbal teas to choose from. Still, coffee is the preferred drink in the Americas; after all, South America is one of the world's greatest coffee-producing areas. One social custom is the US and Canada is the mid-morning and mid-afternoon coffee break. This is very informal; it may be spontaneous (Hey! Let's break for coffee) or institutionalized (The coffee break in our office is from 3:30-3:50 daily). Coffee (or tea) may be drunk only, or, more likely, a selection of baked goods such as doughnuts, cookies, slices of cake, or crackers will be available, too. These breaks are not only for eating and drinking but also for chatting.
In Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia, people prefer a spot of tea during their tea break in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon, and later on at home, they have high tea in the early evening. High tea consists of a light, cold meal or baked goods, followed by a more substantial meal later in the evening. Tea breaks may be formal in homes, witha silver tray filled with tea cups on saucers, a silver bowl with sugar, and a silver pitcher with cream brought into a living room, dining room, or drawing room. Baked goods are also served at tea breaks. In both the UK and the US as well as in other English-speaking countries, most people eat three full meals daily, but stopping for coffee or tea breaks has also become customary.
Another useful difference to understand between the British and American ways of life concerns traffic, which is of the utmost importance to travelers or visitors. In London, one takes the underground, whereas in New York it's the subway (whether or not traveling below the ground). Streetcars are taken in American cities, but trams are found in Britain. Make sure you fill up with gas at the gas station in Miami, but in Manchester you should top up the tank with petrol at the petrol station. Not sure whether you need oil? Check under the bonnet in Bristol but the hood in Houston. Check your wing mirror in Wales but your side mirror in Rochester. And watch out for those traffic circles in Tampa but those roundabouts in Reading.
It should not surprise anyone that British and American English are a little different grammatically (Americans say, "I don't have" and "I have a lot" but the British say "I haven't" and "I have much"). Their pronunciation and vocabulary also differ. These should not be sources of consternation when you visit different Anglo countries; instead, they should be occasions for adventure and enjoyment. Just as Mandarin-speaking foreigners can manage their way through the various dialects of Mandarin spoken in mainland China, so, too, should anyone versed in conversational English---of any stripe---succeed in having fun witht he different worlds of English.