November 2nd, 2009 
ghostlei } People tend to amass possessions, sometimes without being aware of doing so. Indeed they can have a delightful surprise when they find something useful which they did not know they owned. Those who never have to move house become indiscriminate collectors of what can only be described as clutter.
} Surprise:
What a nice surprise! What are you doing here?
What are you doing here?并不是字面语。比如你并没有想到会在一个地方碰到一个人，这时候说这句话，就是指“你怎么在这里”，是没有想到的，有点吃惊。
} They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that they may one day need just those very things. As they grow old, people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons, lack of physical and mental energy, both of which are essential in turning out and throwing away, and sentiment.
} Wanted:
W: Since when do you read the Sunday Times?
M: Since I discovered its big help-wanted section.
W: 你从什么时候开始看 the Sunday Times?
M: 自从我发现它有一个big help-wanted 。
} Since when did you start smoking cigars?
你从什么时候开始抽雪茄？
Since when do you care who I‘m going out with?
你从什么时候开始介意我跟谁约会了？
A:Since when do you watch the news?
B:Since they hired a very hot weather girl.
A: 你从什么时候开始看新闻了？
B: 自从我看到报到天气的那个女孩特别漂亮。
since 可以直接放在when 前面来问自从……
} They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that they may one day need just those very things. As they grow old, people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons, lack of physical and mental energy, both of which are essential in turning out and throwing away, and sentiment.
} Wanted:
W: Since when do you read the Sunday Times?
M: Since I discovered its big help-wanted section.
W: 你从什么时候开始看 the Sunday Times?
M: 自从我发现它有一个big help-wanted 。
} Since when did you start smoking cigars?
你从什么时候开始抽雪茄？
Since when do you care who I‘m going out with?
你从什么时候开始介意我跟谁约会了？
A:Since when do you watch the news?
B:Since they hired a very hot weather girl.
A: 你从什么时候开始看新闻了？
B: 自从我看到报到天气的那个女孩特别漂亮。
since 可以直接放在when 前面来问自从……
} Things owned for a long time are full of associations with the past, perhaps with relatives who are dead, and so they gradually acquire a value beyond their true worth.
} (For/over the past couple days) , people have been avoiding me.
过去几天，大家都躲着我。avoid 这里是躲的意思。
You can‘t be mad (about the past) .
过去了的事情，你就不要再生气了。
I have loved her (in the past) .
我爱过她。
I opened the door (to the past) .
这里 the past 前面用的哦是to, 因为前面是 the door
That’s a blast (from the past).
} Some things are collected deliberately in the home in an attempt to avoid waste. Among these I would list string and brown paper, kept by thrifty people when a parcel has been opened, to save buying these two requisites. Collecting small items can easily become a mania.
} requisites :
A:Is John registered for biochemistry next semester?
B:I’m not sure. As far as I know, he hasn’t taken all the prerequisites yet.
A: John 是不是已经选了下学期的生物化学了？
B: 我不能确定，据我所知，他那些 prerequisites 还没选呢。
requisites 前面加上pre 变成了另外一个词。在国外选课的时候，有的课你要先学了其他的课才能选，这个其他的课就是prerequisites。那么例句里B说的话言外之意就是John还没有选下学期的生物化学。
} I know someone who always cuts sketches out from newspapers of model clothes that she would like to buy if she had the money. As she is not rich, the chances that she will ever be able to afford such purchases are remote; but she is never sufficiently strong-minded to be able to stop the practice. It is a harmless habit, but it litters up her desk to such an extent that every time she opens it, loose bits of paper fall out in every direction.
} Chance:
There is a good chance they are going to get married this month.
很有可能他们这个月要结婚。
I think there is a good chance that they will get married before we do.
我认为很可能他们结婚会赶在我们前面。
The way you eat. You have a fat chance of losing any weight.
你这个吃法，很难减肥。Fat chance 跟减肥无关，只是本身就是这个说法，指几率不大；good chance 很大的可能性。
} Collecting as a serious hobby is quite different and has many advantages. It provides relaxation for leisure hours, as just looking at one’s treasures is always a joy. One does not have to go outside for amusement, since the collection is housed at home. Whatever it consists of, stamps, records, first editions of books, china, glass, antique furniture, pictures, model cars, stuffed birds, toy animals, there is always something to do in connection with it, from finding the right place for the latest addition, to verifying facts in reference books. This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which have some bearing on it.
} Verify 两次印象
跨国的现金和支票拿到银行存，不是当时就能拿出来，它需要一段时间去确保，验证这个钱。当时银行告诉我，这个词叫做verify; 另外一个是在网上付款的时候，国外很多公司都会给你打电话来确认你就是持卡人，这个确认用的也是verify。
} There are also other benefits. One wants to meet like-minded collectors, to get advice, to compare notes, to exchange articles, to show off the latest find. So one’s circle of friends grows. Soon the hobby leads to travel, perhaps to a meeting in another town, possibly a trip abroad in search of a rare specimen, for collectors are not confined to any one country.
} like-minded :
在本课是指志同道合，有共同的想法。注意一下这种组词的用法。
I’m getting more and more absent-minded each day.
我记性越来越不好了。
She is never sufficiently strong-minded
to be able to stop the practice.(lesson59)quick-minded
people to waste time. (lesson60)
} Over the years, one may well become an authority on one’s hobby and will very probably be asked to give informal talks to little gatherings and then, if successful, to larger audiences. In this way self-confidence grows, first from mastering a subject, then from being able to talk about it. Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time for boredom.
} Audience:
in the audience
在观众席里面
in front of the audience
在舞台上
The actors received a standing ovation for their performance.
这里的 standing ovation 是指起立鼓掌。
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