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2009年ESL之旅行交通购物 16 Finding the Perfect Gift

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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

 

16 Finding1 the Perfect Gift

GLOSSARY2

gift – present; something that is given to another person, especially on a birthdayor holiday

* Meghan receives birthday gifts from her parents, grandparents, and all of heraunts and uncles.

present – gift; something that is given to another person, especially on a birthdayor holiday

* Ties and socks are common presents for Father’s Day.

to knock (someone’s) socks off – to impress someone very much; to dosomething that surprises someone in a good way, usually because it is verygood, nice, and unexpected3

* It sounds like you really knocked their socks off in the interview! You’ll definitelyget the job.

gift certificate4 – a piece of paper that one buys at a store and lets one spend acertain amount of money at that store, usually given to another person as apresent

* For his birthday, Joao asked for gift certificates5 to his favorite clothing store.

gift card – a small, rectangular6 piece of plastic that looks like a credit7 card andlets one spend a certain amount of money at a specific store, usually given toanother person as a present

* They gave her a $50 gift card to the bookstore as a graduation present.

to pick out – to choose; to decide which one of something one would like tohave or buy

* Why did we pick out such an ugly color of paint for the bathroom walls?

to put thought into (something) – to think about something carefully,considering all the options or considering another person’s opinion

* Bettina hardly put any thought into college, and just decided8 to go the universityclosest to her parents’ home.

to rack9 (one’s) brain – to spend a lot of time thinking about something,especially when it is very difficult and one cannot find the answer or solution

* Eberhard has been racking10 his brain for months, trying to figure out how he canmake enough money to pay all of his bills, but it seems impossible.

to get carried away – to go overboard; to do too much of something; to takesomething to an extreme

* Harold always gets carried away decorating for Halloween, putting pumpkinsand ghosts all over his house and yard.

to please (someone) – to make someone happy and satisfied* Arpad tries to please his parents by always getting good grades at school.

it’s the thought that counts – a phrase used to show that even thoughsomething didn’t work as planned, one appreciates the effort and considerationthat went into doing something

* - I planned a beautiful picnic in the park for my girlfriend, but it was ruined bythe rain.

* - Don’t worry about it. It’s the thought that counts.

disappointed – unhappy because something isn’t as good as one wanted it tobe, or because something didn’t happen as one had expected it to

* We were all really disappointed when the company lost its biggest client11.

to hold (something) against (someone) – to not forgive someone forsomething that happened; to be angry at someone for something that happenedin the past; to blame someone for something that happened

* How can you still hold it against me for hitting your car? That happened yearsago and I paid for the repair.

to boggle (one’s) mind – to confuse someone; to be very surprising forsomeone; to be difficult or impossible for one to understand

* Gunter is an award-winning researcher, so it boggles my mind how he alwayscomplains about his career.

to work (oneself) up – to become very angry, excited, or worried aboutsomething

* Paola always works12 herself up before her parents come to visit, trying to cleanher house perfectly13 before they arrive.

to return – to take something back to the store where it was bought so that onecan exchange it for something else or get one’s money back

* You can return purchases to our store for 30 days with the original receipt14.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. According to Fae, why wouldn’t her mother like a gift certificate?

a) She couldn’t use it to buy socks.

b) It would show that Fae wasn’t very thoughtful15.

c) She wouldn’t know which store to use it at.

2. Why is Fae worried about getting her mother the wrong gift?

a) Because her mother will never forgive her.

b) Because her mother only likes expensive gifts.

c) Because her mother was disappointed by last year’s gift.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to get carried away

The phrase “to get carried away,” in this podcast, means to do too much ofsomething, or to take something to an extreme: “When they cleaned out thegarage, they got carried away and accidentally16 threw away some things theywish they had kept.” The phrase “to carry (something) too far” means to do toomuch of something so that it becomes a problem: “Joseph always enjoys tellingjokes at the office, but last week he carried it too far.” The phrase “to carry(something) off” means to do something that is very difficult, especially if otherpeople did not believe that one could do it: “I can’t believe you sold your home forthat much money! How did you carry it off?” Finally, the phrase “to carry(someone) through” means to help someone through a very difficult situation:

“Her faith in her religion carried her through her son’s death.”

to please

In this podcast, the verb “to please (someone)” means to make someone happyand satisfied: “He buys flowers at least once a month because he knows theyplease his girlfriend.” The phrase “please yourself” is used to tell someone thathe or she is free to do whatever he or she wants, but that one doesn’t really thinkit’s a good idea: “You’re going to skip class? Please yourself.” Or, “Pleaseyourself, but I’m going to bring an umbrella in case it rains.” Finally, the word“please” is sometimes used to show disbelief, or to show that one does notbelieve what another person has said or done: “Alicia thinks she can win thebeauty contest? Oh, please! There’s no way that will happen!”

CULTURE NOTE

Many Americans enjoy giving and getting gift cards because they “ensure”

(guarantee; make sure something happens) that the “recipient17” (the person whoreceives the gift card) can pick out exactly what he or she wants to have. With agift card, no one needs to worry about “pretending” (making something seem tobe true when it really isn’t) to like a gift when they would really prefer to havesomething else.

However, people have begun to realize that there are many “pitfalls” (hiddenproblems) to using gift cards. Some gift cards have “hidden” (not easily seen)“fees” (money that must be paid), such as “activation fees” (money paid to beginusing a card) or fees that are paid each time the card is used. Other gift cards“expire” (cannot be used after a certain date), so if the recipient doesn’t use thecard before that expiration18 date, the gift card loses all of its “value” (the amount ofmoney something is worth).

In addition, studies have shown that many gift cards are never used. Accordingto Consumer Reports magazine, in 2006 there were $8 billion in unused giftcards. Gift cards might not be used because they are lost or forgotten, orbecause the recipient doesn’t want to buy anything at that particular store.

Gift cards can still be good presents, but it’s important to make sure that the giftcard is for a store where the recipient enjoys shopping. Also, it is a good idea tobuy “retail cards,” which are sold by a particular store, instead of “bank cards,”

which are sold by a bank and can be used almost anywhere, because bankcards “tend to have” (usually have) higher fees.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT19

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 538: Finding thePerfect Gift.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode21 538. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Support this podcast by going to our website and becoming a Learning22 Guidemember. You can also make a donation23 on our website to help keep thesepodcasts free for everyone.

This episode is called “Finding the Perfect Gift.” It’s a dialogue between Fae andPablo about someone who’s looking to find a gift. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Fae: Help! I still need to buy a gift for my mother and I can’t seem to think of theperfect present, something that’ll really knock her socks off.

Pablo: Why don’t you just get her a gift certificate or a gift card? That way, shecan pick out her own gift.

Fae: Oh, she would hate that. She would think that I didn’t put any thought intobuying her a present at all, while I’ve been racking my brain to think of somethingshe’ll like. Maybe I should buy her a car!

Pablo: Now, don’t get carried away. You get like this every year. I know youwant to please your mother, but remember, it’s the thought that counts.

Fae: I wish that were true. If I get her the wrong gift, I’m afraid she’ll bedisappointed, or worse, she’ll hold it against me for the rest of my life.

Pablo: It boggles my mind how you can work yourself up like this every year.

Fae: How can I not? You know my mother.

Pablo: Yes, I do, and I have one piece of advice for you: Buy her a gift she canreturn.

[end of dialogue]

Fae says to Pablo, “Help! I still need to buy a gift for my mother and I can’t seemto think of the perfect present, something that’ll really knock her socks off.” A“gift” and a “present” are the same thing; it’s something that you give anotherperson. A gift is something that you don’t expect the other person to give youanything in exchange for; you’re not asking the other person to give you anymoney. Gifts and presents are always free, although it has become popular inthe last few years on television to talk about how people could get a free gift. Butall gifts – all presents are, by definition24, free. Fae says, “I can’t seem to think ofthe perfect present, something that’ll really knock her socks off.” “To knock(someone’s) socks off” is an informal expression meaning to impress someonevery much, to do something that surprises someone but in a good way – in aunexpected way.

Pablo says, “Why don’t you just get her a gift certificate or a gift card?” A “giftcertificate” is a piece of paper that you buy at a store that you give to someone,and it allows that person to go to that store and use it to buy things. A “gift card”

is similar except it looks like a little credit card, and you are able to give that tosomeone and they can buy whatever they want. Pablo says, “That way(meaning by doing that, by buying her a gift card), she can pick out her own gift.”

“To pick out” is a phrasal verb meaning to choose, to select, to decide which ofsomething you want. Some people don’t like that. In fact, Fae says, “Oh, (hermother) would hate that. She would think that I didn’t put any thought into buyingher a present at all.” “To put thought into (something)” means to think aboutsomething carefully, to think of all the options, to think what of what that person’sopinion would be, what their likes and dislikes are, and to choose somethingcarefully, just for that person. A gift card or a gift certificate means that you reallyhaven’t thought about it at all, and you just picked a store and you gave them agift card for it. So, many people don’t like gift cards and gift certificates, butthey’re very popular.

Fae says, “I’ve been racking my brain to think of something she’ll like.” “To rack(rack) your brain” means to spend a lot of time thinking about something,especially something that’s very difficult – a problem that’s very difficult to solve.

In this case, the problem is which gift Fae should buy her mother. “Maybe Ishould buy her a car,” she says. Pablo says, “Now, don’t get carried away.” “Toget carried away” means to do too much of something, to take something to anextreme; we might also say “to go overboard.” “To get carried away” means todo too much of something. The verb “carry,” however, has many differentmeanings. You know where to look, our Learning Guide, where you can findadditional explanations.

Pablo says, “You get like this every year (meaning you get into this way ofthinking every year). I know you want to please your mother, but remember, it’sthe thought that counts.” “To please (someone)” means to make someonehappy, someone you like, someone that you are trying to satisfy. “Please” has acouple of different meanings, however; once again, take a look at the LearningGuide for some more explanations. Pablo says, “it’s the thought that counts.”

This is an expression – a phrase we have that means even if the person doesn’tlike the gift, they will appreciate the thought that went behind it: the fact that youtried to find something good for them. “It’s the thought that counts.”

Fae says, “I wish that were true (meaning that’s not true for my mother). If I gether the wrong gift, I’m afraid she’ll be disappointed.” “To be disappointed” meansyou’re unhappy because someone didn’t do what you expected or somethingdidn’t result in the way that you wanted it to. Fae says, “worse, she’ll hold itagainst me for the rest of my life.” “To hold (something) against (someone)” isanother phrasal verb meaning not to forgive someone for something thathappened, to continue to be angry at someone for something that happened inthe past. Fae thinks that her mother will be mad at her for the rest of her life –which could be a very long time!

Pablo says, “It boggles my mind how you can work yourself up like this everyyear.” “To boggle (boggle) (someone’s) mind” means to confuse someone, to dosomething that is very surprising, very confusing, very difficult for another personto understand. It means that you’re really confused about something; you’rereally surprised about something. “Why my brother decided to leave his jobboggles my mind,” I’m completely confused by it. Usually we use this expressionwhen we somehow disapprove25 or disagree with whatever the outcome26 or resultwas.

Pablo says it boggles his mind how Fae works herself up like this every year.

“To work yourself up” means to get very worried about something or to get veryangry about something. If your girlfriend decides to end your relationship, yourfriend might say, “Don’t get worked up about it (don’t get worried about it; don’tget angry about it). There are other fish in the sea (is an expression we woulduse in that case).” “There are other fish in the sea (in the ocean)” meaning thereare other women out there that you can find to be your girlfriend – maybe!

Fae says, “How can I not (meaning how can I not work myself up)? You knowmy mother.” Pablo says, “Yes, I do, and I have one piece of advice for you (apiece of advice is one thing that you are recommending to someone): Buy her agift she can return.” “To return” here means to take something back to the storewhere you bought it so that you can get something else, or they will give you the money was paid for the gift. We actually have what are called “gift receipts27,”

which are popular, I’m sure, in other places. These are receipts that the store willgive a person; it doesn’t have the amount of the purchase – the amount that youpaid, but it allows the person to bring back to a store to exchange it for somethingelse. Of course once they bring it back, then they’ll know how much it was, soit’s kind of a silly practice really, but that is what a gift receipt is, when you aregoing to return something.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Fae: Help! I still need to buy a gift for my mother and I can’t seem to think of theperfect present, something that’ll really knock her socks off.

Pablo: Why don’t you just get her a gift certificate or a gift card? That way, shecan pick out her own gift.

Fae: Oh, she would hate that. She would think that I didn’t put any thought intobuying her a present at all, while I’ve been racking my brain to think of somethingshe’ll like. Maybe I should buy her a car!

Pablo: Now, don’t get carried away. You get like this every year. I know youwant to please your mother, but remember, it’s the thought that counts.

Fae: I wish that were true. If I get her the wrong gift, I’m afraid she’ll bedisappointed, or worse, she’ll hold it against me for the rest of my life.

Pablo: It boggles my mind how you can work yourself up like this every year.

Fae: How can I not? You know my mother.

Pablo: Yes, I do, and I have one piece of advice for you: Buy her a gift she canreturn.

[end of dialogue]

If this script20 knocked your socks off, you can thank Dr. Lucy Tse, who did such agreat job!

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright28 2009 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 finding 5tAzVe     
n.发现,发现物;调查的结果
参考例句:
  • The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
  • That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。
2 glossary of7xy     
n.注释词表;术语汇编
参考例句:
  • The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
  • For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便,我们在附录中也提供了术语表。
3 unexpected Qkpw8     
adj.想不到的,意外的
参考例句:
  • I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒,用来招待不速之客。
  • His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。
4 certificate JOEzr     
n.证书,证明书;vt.发给证明书,认可,鉴定
参考例句:
  • She proudly displayed her degree certificate to her parents.她自豪地向父母展示了学位证书。
  • No one had seen her marriage certificate.没人看到过她的结婚证书。
5 certificates 3cc41d0f46073ba8d93ea9db2412437f     
n.证明书,执照( certificate的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • They accepted their certificates with words of thanks. 他们一边道谢,一边接过证书。 来自辞典例句
  • The bank manager is said to have issued fake certificates. 据说那个银行经理曾出具伪造的凭证。 来自辞典例句
6 rectangular 6UTx4     
adj.矩形的,成直角的
参考例句:
  • He put a rectangular box on the table.他把一个长方形的箱子放在桌子上。
  • The equations are written in rectangular coordinates.这些方程是在直角座标系中写出的。
7 credit pOGzH     
n.信用,荣誉,贷款,学分;v.归功于,赞颂,信任
参考例句:
  • I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
  • He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉,我们做不讨好的工作。
8 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
9 rack cAfzx     
n.挂架,搁架;vt.折磨;使紧张,使努力
参考例句:
  • He went over and took his jacket from the coat rack.到衣架上取外套。
  • The old house soon went to rack and ruin.这所旧房子很快就毁坏了。
10 racking dbb5b5f5092a88f2a261b2dd2911834c     
拷问的,痛苦的
参考例句:
  • All night I have been tossing and turning racking my brains to think what could have possessed the young man to kill himself. 整整一晚我辗转反侧,绞尽脑汁,想弄明白是什么原因竟能促成这个年轻人自杀。
  • He was racking his brains for a course of action. 他在脑子里拼命寻找一条行动的道路。
11 client rVSyX     
n.委托人,当事人,顾客
参考例句:
  • She can't come to the telephone;she's serving a client.她不能来接电话,她正在接待一位顾客。
  • The lawyer produced a clever defence of his client.律师机智地为委托人辩护。
12 works ieuzIh     
n.作品,著作;工厂,活动部件,机件
参考例句:
  • We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
  • The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
13 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
14 receipt NUqxw     
n.收据,收条;收到,接到
参考例句:
  • We are in receipt of your letter of the 10th.我们收到了您十日的来函。
  • I asked for a receipt.我要一张收据。
15 thoughtful Wo4wg     
adj.思考的,沉思的,体贴的,关心的
参考例句:
  • She is thoughtful for her friends.她很体贴她的朋友们。
  • This is a thoughtful essay.这是一篇具有思想性的随笔。
16 accidentally kJ6yv     
adv.偶然地;意外地
参考例句:
  • Mary accidentally let out that her mother had telephoned.玛丽无意中说出她的母亲来过电话。
  • As I turned around,I accidentally hit him in the face.我转身时不经意撞了他的脸。
17 recipient QA8zF     
a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器
参考例句:
  • Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
  • Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。
18 expiration bmSxA     
n.终结,期满,呼气,呼出物
参考例句:
  • Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
  • This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满,即行终止。
19 transcript JgpzUp     
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书
参考例句:
  • A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
  • They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。
20 script 2Z4x4     
n.剧本,广播稿;文字体系;笔迹,手迹
参考例句:
  • It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
  • The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。
21 episode Titzy     
n.(作品的一段)情节,插曲,系列事件中之一
参考例句:
  • The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
  • This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。
22 learning wpSzFe     
n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
参考例句:
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
23 donation RsDxH     
n.捐赠,捐献,捐助;捐赠物
参考例句:
  • She made a personal donation to the fund.她以个人名义向基金会捐款。
  • Then next big donation of musical instruments came from Germany.第二笔音乐乐器的大型捐助来自德国。
24 definition YxjxE     
n.定义;限定,确定;清晰度
参考例句:
  • The book attempts a definition of his role in world politics.该书要阐明的是他在世界政局中的作用。
  • I made a definition for this word.我给这个字下了定义。
25 disapprove 9udx3     
v.不赞成,不同意,不批准
参考例句:
  • I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
  • She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员,但她的父母不赞成。
26 outcome 60ryR     
n.结果,出口,演变
参考例句:
  • The outcome of the experiment is in the lap of the gods.实验结果尚难预料。
  • The outcome of the war is hard to foretell.战争胜负难以预卜。
27 receipts dd56421b288ed66bfa4cb2e502fb3c87     
(企业、银行等)收到的款,进款; 收到( receipt的名词复数 ); 收入; 收据; 收条
参考例句:
  • Cash income is calculated by subtracting total trading income from total receipts. 现金收入是从总收入中减去总贸易收入来计算的。
  • The receipts have increased since last year. 自去年起收入已增加。
28 copyright XZRyV     
n.版权,著作权
参考例句:
  • He retained the copyright of his book.他保留此书的著作权。
  • This company has a proprietorship of the copyright.这家公司拥有版权所有权。
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