士丹利英语口语第 37 课: So, how was the parade? 游行好玩吗？

Holly: I've seen this game on a TV show about China. 我在一个跟中国有关的电视节目里看过这游戏。

Yi-jun: They say playing mahjong helps keep old people from going senile. 人家说打麻将可以让年纪大的人避免衰老。

Holly: Why aren't you playing, Yi-jun? 怡君，你怎么不打？

Yi-jun: Once you start, you play the night away. 只要一开始，整个晚上就耗掉了。

Holly: Yeah, those guys don't look like they're going anywhere. 对呀，那些人看来是哪儿都不去了。

Yi-jun: Plus, there's gambling involved, and I can't compete with those guys. 而且，这是要赌钱的，我玩不赢那些家伙。

Taylor: This firework show puts our July fourth celebrations to shame! 这场烟火真是让我们的国庆庆典相形失色！

Yi-jun: We set off the firecrackers to welcome in the New Year! 我们都会放鞭炮迎接新年！

Taylor: Man, that's loud. Sure you're not trying to scare the New Year away? 天啊，好大声。你确定这不是在试着把新年吓跑吗？

Yi-jun: It's funny you say that! They are said to scare away the bad spirits, too. 你这么说真是巧！也有人说这是要吓跑恶鬼。

Taylor: It seems like Chinese New Year is all “good luck this, and good luck that.” 看来中国新年全是‘好运长、好运短’的。

Yi-jun: That's right. Even down to the couplets we paste to the sides of the door. 的确如此。就连我们贴在门边的对联都是。

Holly: So, how was the parade? 游行好玩吗？

Yi-jun: Strange. There were no firecrackers. The mayor banned them a few years ago. 怪怪的。没有鞭炮。市长几年前就禁止大家放炮了。

Holly: I guess it is pretty dangerous to set them off around a big crowd of people. 我猜在一大群人当中放鞭炮很危险吧。

Yi-jun: But it's the world's biggest Chinatown! It's just not the same without the noise! 但这可是世界上最大的中国城耶！没有放鞭炮的噪音就是不对劲！

Holly: [Doorbell rings] There's our first guest. Are we ready to entertain? （门铃响）我们的第一个客人来了。我们准备好接待客人了吗？

Yi-jun: Oops! I haven't even started mixing the suijiao filling! 糟糕！我连水饺馅都还没开始拌！