英語學習筆記

Anthony: I was pulled over last night for an alcohol test while driving home from work. What a hassle.
Jen: It's a small price to pay to keep our streets safe. Which reminds me, did you hear about the guy in Louisiana who was arrested for mowing his lawn while drunk?
Anthony: It's against American law to drink beer and cut grass at same time?
Jen: Well, no. Apparently, he drove a self-propelled lawnmower off his lawn, onto the middle of the street, and kept going.
Anthony: He probably wanted to do chores and have fun at the same time.

Andre: What is the longest time you've spent in a taxi?
Jennie: I would say a trip Xinyi district to Tamshui last Saturday. It took almost one and a half hours!
Andre: You should have taken the MRT. Still, that's nothing compared to a couple who traveled 4,000 kilometers by cab from New York to Phoenix, Arizona! The trip took 6 days, and they were in the cab about 10 hours a day.
Jennie: That's a lot of free time for the two to chew the fat.
Andre: Apparently, they were moving and didn't want their cats to ride in the cargo of a plane.

"Andy" is short for "Andrew," which is derived from the Greek work "Andreas," meaning "man." Although "Andy" is only the 217th most popular name in the US(Wikipedia), several well known people share this name, including actor Andy Garcia(Smokin' Aces and Ocean's Twelve), tennis player Andy Roddick, and Hong Kong celebrity Andy Lau.

"Jennifer" is popular. In fact, it was the most common name given to baby girls in the US between 1970 and 1984(Wikipedia). But did you know it is actually Cornish for "while phantom?" Variations include "Jen," "Jenny," and "Gwen." Popular personalities include actress Jennifer Aniston(best know for being Brad Pitt's ex-wife) and singer Jennifer Lopez.

derive vt.得自,引出 vi.出自(from)

Eliza: How come your text messages are either misspelled or in incomplete sentences?
Rick: Because it's too time-consuming to type out every word perfectly.
Eliza: That's true. Speaking of which, there was a National Texting championship in New York last week. The winner was a thirteen-year-old girl who typed 34 English characters correctly in 15 seconds!
Rick: I read that she sends more than 8,000 text messages per month.
Eliza: Clearly, her daily practice gave her the upper hand in that competition.

Richie:How do you like your new job?
Isabel:It's OK. A job is a job, you know? It's not exciting, but it's not terrible either.
Richie:Perhaps you should consider a career change. A recent survey done by the University of Chicago found that the most satisfying jobs in the U.S. were those that involved helping others.
Isabel:What were the top three professions on the list?
Richie:Clergy, firefighter, and physical therapist.

Liz:How come you still drive to work with your home and office right next to MRT stations?
Rich:It's just a habit. But you're right, it is rather inconvenient looking for parking, and the fuel costs are eating into my spending money.
Liz:Not to mention the air pollution you are causing. Did you catch the coverage of the Shanghai auto show last week? Many automakers displayed alternative energy concept cars, including ones that run on bio-diesel. I've heard these engines can even run on used vegetable oil. That should lower your fuel costs!
Rich:Wow, I can't wait to get my hands on a bio-diesel sedan.