基础英语口语对话：这是很了不起的经历

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　　咱们今天基础英语口语对话练习的重点内容为“一次了不起的经历”。对话背景介绍：Grandpa 在 John Marchetta先生的办公室里接受笔试。Marchetta 先生浏览了Grandpa的简历，给了他很高的评估。

　　Grandpa: Hi. I'm Malcolm Stewart.

　　Marchetta: John Marchetta. Sit down, sit down.

　　Grandpa: Susan has told me a great deal about you. She says you're quite a man.

　　Marchetta: She says a lot of wonderful things about you too, Mr. Stewart.

　　Grandpa: That's always nice to hear, Mr. Marchetta.

　　Marchetta: Call me John. May I call you Malcolm? Let's talk business.

　　Grandpa: That's music to my ears.

　　Marchetta: I understand you used to be in the construction business.

　　Grandpa: Yup. Forty-three years. Here's a brief description of forty-three years of on-the-job training.

　　Marchetta: That is some history! You're a valuable asset, Malcolm. Very valuable.

　　Grandpa: Thank you. Yup. Forty-three years. Half that time in my own construction company. Big jobs -- factories, shopping malls. That kind of thing.

　　Marchetta: Then you retired.

　　Grandpa: Yes. After my wife died, and I felt I should spend more time with my children and grandchildren. I lived in Florida, and they lived in New York.

　　Marchetta: I understand. My daughter, Cami lives in New York. I like being near her.

　　【基础英语口语对话中的语言点精讲】

　　1. Susan has told me a great deal about you. She says you're quite a man.

　　Susan跟我说了不少有关你的事，她说你是个很了不起的人。

　　a great deal: 很多。也可能说 a great deal of sth. , 但后面的名词只能是不可数的。

　　You're quite a man. 你真是个了不起的人。

　　2. Call me John．

　　叫我John好了。在基础英语口语对话中如果对方称自己为某先生或用其它尊称时，欲使对方直呼己名以示亲切，常这样说。也能够: “John to you．”

　　3. Let's talk business.

　　talk business: 谈工作, 谈生意。这是个惯用语，talk 在这里用作及物动词。

　　类似的不带介词，以talk为及物动词的用法还有: talk politics/sport（谈论政治/体育），talk shop（说行话，谈本行业或本职工作的事），talk sense/nonsense，talk nonsense/rubbish（说胡话，胡说八道）等。

　　4. That's music to my ears.

　　正合我意。正是我想听的。

　　5. I understand you used to be in the construction business.

　　我据说你从前是在建造业工作的。

　　I understand: 在这里的意思是“我据说，我知道这样的信息”。

　　used to do: 从前曾做过某事。用来念叨过去的经历。

　　6. Here's a brief description of forty-three years of on-the-job training.

　　这儿有一份材科，简短地记录了我四十三年的工作经历。

　　a brief description: 简单的叙述。这里指简历。

　　on-the-job training: 指工作阅历。美国人很重视实际工作教训，所以他们把工作经历称为“工作时的培训”。

　　7. That is some history! You're a valuable asset, Malcolm. Very valuable.

　　这是很了不起的经历！你是个很宝贵的人才，Malcolm，非常宝贵。

　　some: 了不起的，相当于“a wonderful…”。这在基础英语口语对话中是一种非正式用法。

　　asset: 资产, 财产, 人才。

　　8. I like being near her.

　　我爱好离她近一点。

　　这里like后面接-ing形式，表示“经常或总是或习惯性地”喜好某事。