December 21, 2011
Dining in China

Friend: Do you like Chinese food?

Felicia: I do.

Friend: Really? What’s it like?

按钮
Friend : Do you like Chinese food?
Felicia : I do.
Friend : Really?
What's it like?
Felicia : You know that,
for breakfast,
Americans eat things like McDonald's Egg McMuffins and cold cereal.
Friend : Sure,
that's what Americans like.
Felicia : In China,
even though many young Chinese like going to McDonalds or KFC for breakfast,
Chinese who prefer a traditional meal wouldn't eat fast food for breakfast.
Friend : So what would they eat instead?
Felicia : Well,
in my hotel,
every morning,
they serve a hot porridge that's made from rice.
In the very first hotel I stayed at in China—on the campus of Bei Da—breakfast included many hot prepared foods as well as toast and fruit.
Friend : Do you think that Chinese people stay thinner than Americans because they don't eat that much junk food?
Felicia : Yes,
that may be true.
Friend : Overall,
what's dining like in China?
Felicia : It's a really amazing experience.
In U.
S.
restaurants,
the waiter gives you a menu that's perhaps one or two pages,
and you choose what you want to eat.
Friend : Is it different in China?
Felicia : Absolutely.
In most Chinese restaurants,
the waiter gives you a large book that has many,
many photos of delicious foods that you can choose.
Friend : So is it difficult making a decision?
Felicia : Yes,
sometimes it is,
especially if I'm by myself.
But,
when I'm with my Chinese friends,
they usually don't have any trouble choosing.
And if they have a question,
they ask the waiter.
Friend : And how's the service?
Felicia : Service is usually very good.
If you have a question,
problem,
or want something,
you just call for the server and your request is quickly taken care of.
Friend : Dining out in China sounds like an enjoyable experience.
单词解释
  • cold cereal: A food that’s sometimes made from processed grains, typically served unheated and with milk, and often consumed as the first meal of the day. Some cold cereals are relatively healthy, while others, which contain a lot of sugar, are not.
  • porridge: a dish made from oatmeal or another cereal, cooked in water or milk to a thick consistency
  • junk food: food that is low in nutritional value but high in calories and that’s often highly-processed and eaten instead of well-balanced meals
December 20, 2011
Dealing with a cold and the weather

Friend: Are you now feeling better?

Felicia: Yes, I am—finally.

Friend: You had a really serious cold, including sneezing, coughing, and overall exhaustion.

按钮
Friend : Are you now feeling better?
Felicia : Yes,
I am—finally.
Friend : You had a really serious cold,
including sneezing,
coughing,
and overall exhaustion.
Felicia : Yes,
I had all of those symptoms.
It took me almost a week to feel better.
Friend : Did you take any medicine?
Felicia : Actually,
I didn't.
But I did use an old Chinese remedy.
Friend : What was that?
Felicia : I drank a lot of hot water.
Friend : Really?
How did that help you feel better?
Felicia : Well,
I'm not an expert on Chinese medicine.
But,
I suspect that the hot water helped to flush the toxins from my system.
I also noticed that when I drank hot water,
I didn't cough.
In contrast,
when I drank cold water,
I continued to cough.
Friend : The American drug companies wouldn't like people using something simple like hot water instead of their pricey prescriptions.
Felicia : You've got that right!
Many Americans take a pill—an aspirin,
an antibiotic,
or some other drug—at the first sign of an illness.
They don't even think about a natural remedy,
like hot water.
Friend : I understand that the weather in Beijing this summer was very hot and humid.
Did that complicate your getting better?
Felicia : Maybe so.
Although it was also hot and humid this summer in Connecticut,
where I live in the U.
S.,
the heavy traffic and resulting air pollution in Beijing made the weather oppressive.
Friend : Are there that many cars in Beijing?
Felicia : According to Chinese Government statistics,
there are about 4 . 7 million cars on the road in Beijing.
Friend : Wow!
That's amazing.
Felicia : Not really,
when you consider that there are about 20 million people in the Chinese capital city.
But despite the traffic,
Beijing is still a very exciting place to visit.
单词解释
  • In contrast: on the other hand
  • aspirin: drug used to relieve minor aches and pains
  • antibiotic: substance, such as penicillin, that is capable of destroying or weakening certain microorganism or bacteria that cause infections or infectious diseases
  • Connecticut: a state in the northeastern United States
December 13, 2011
Chinese teens ask about America

Friend: You recently spoke at a Beijing high school. What questions did the students ask you?

按钮
Friend : You recently spoke at a Beijing high school.
What questions did the students ask you?
Felicia : Many had seen American movies and wondered whether these films were realistic.
For example,
one student said that American movies show male and female teens having many casual relationships with each other—something that isn't done in China.
So he asked whether the behavior shown in these films really happens.
I replied that because these movies are produced in Hollywood by adults,
they are,
most likely,
exaggerations.
On the other hand,
I continued,
some teenage American girls have babies without getting married.
The audience gasped.
Friend : What else did they ask?
Felicia : Another student asked about America's political system.
He said that he liked democracy's apparent openness so that he could easily access Internet sites like Facebook.
I replied that every political system has pros and cons and that the downside of democracy was illustrated by the recent heated debate among American politicians concerning raising the debt ceiling.
I pointed out that,
sometimes,
having too much discussion results in too many diverse opinions and a slower process.
Friend : Did you get other questions?
Felicia : Yes,
I did.
One student asked about the U.
S.
media's coverage of the recent high-speed train accident in China.
I replied that I found it interesting that a prominent U.
S.
newspaper,
the Wall Street Journal,
placed an article about this accident right next to one concerning the U.
S.
debt crisis.
To me,
doing so seemed to say to Americans,
“ Hey,
don't be so concerned about our debt problem.
Look at China.
It's even worse there!
” I felt that this newspaper was trying to distract Americans from paying attention to an important issue—both for their country and the rest of the world.
Friend : Were there other topics that these teens were interested in?
Felicia : Yes,
many.
In general,
the teens enjoyed hearing about how American and Chinese educational systems differ,
how American teens' lives are distinct from their Chinese peers,
and how their respective attitudes about their futures are not the same.
Friend : It would be great if Americans and Chinese had these types of discussions involving various age groups.
Felicia : You're right about that.
单词解释
  • gasped: drew in one’s breath sharply, especially to express awe or horror
  • pros and cons: the various arguments or points in favor of and also against an idea, course of action, or system
  • coverage: extent or degree to which something is observed, analyzed, and reported
  • respective: belonging or relating to each of several groups of people
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush

In its current form, this phrase was used in a late 18th century British folk ballad, in which “bird” referred to a woman or girl. However, variations on this expression were used centuries earlier.

This phrase means that it’s better to hav...

To be continue
ace

ace—receive an “A” on something or perform well; He aced his final exam and graduated with honors.

To be continue