生活英語對話 Episode 44: A free lunch

本單元是關(guān)于免費午餐的對話

Tim: That food was delicious!

Mrs Hall: It took ages to come but yes, absolutely scrummy. Ready for afters?

Tim: Thank you.

Mrs Hall:Go on, open it.

Tim: World Cup tickets! How can I ever thank you Mrs Hall?

Mrs Hall: Well you can start by dropping the formality. Please, call me Janet.

Tim: Alright ... Janet.

Mrs Hall: Much better. Now, my husband's away on business next month. So we'll do lunch again then.

Tim: Your husband?

Mrs Hall: Well where did you think those corporate tickets came from? Yes, he's good for some things but quite dreadful for others - like decent lunch company.

Tim: I'm not sure if I'm free. Let me check the rota first.

Vocabulary:(詞匯)

scrummy (informal): 美味的(非正式用法)

delicious

afters (informal, uncountable):甜點(非正式用法，不可數(shù)名詞)

dessert, the dish which comes after the main meal

to drop something:(停止做某事)

to stop doing something

corporate:(企業(yè))

business

a rota:(輪班表)

a schedule or timetable which shows what days and times employees work

本單元的語言點是時間介詞短語，請看下面的時間介詞短語例句。

Prepositions of time

at/on/in:

At, on and in are the basic prepositions of time

We use at with particular times:

I start work at 9 o'clock

The banks closes at 4 o'clock

We use on with particular days:

I don't work on Mondays

See you on New Year's day

We use in with seasons, months and years:

I started working here in 2004

I am getting married in June

I went on holiday in the winter

There are some special times when we use at:

at the weekend

at night

at Christmas

at the moment

Notice the difference between on and in in these sentences:

I'll see you on Friday evening - this is a particular evening

I often use the internet in the evening - this is a general period of time

We don't use at/on/in before phrases like this week, last year, next month, every day

More uses of in

We use in to refer to a future event:

Hurry up! The TV show starts in ten minutes

We use in to stay how long it takes to finish something:

I did the exam in one hour

If you arrive in time for an event, then you arrive early enough. You do not miss the start of the event:

The taxi driver drove quickly to the festival, so we arrived in time to see the first band

If an event happens on time, then it happens at the correct and planned time:

There were no delays, so the plane left on time

for/since/until:

We use for to talk about a period of time, referring to the length of that period. This period of time can be in the past, present or future:

I lived in Spain for 2 years

I have been waiting for half an hour

We use since to talk about a period of time, referring to the beginning point of that period; a period from a point in the past to now:

I have worked here since 1996. I think it's time to change my job

I have been waiting since 10 o'clock. Has the doctor arrived yet?

We use until to talk about a period of time, referring to the end point of that period

My parents are on holiday until Sunday. Shall we have a party on Friday?

I worked in New York until 1999, then I came back home to the UK

We often use for/since/until to answer questions with How long?

How long have you lived in Dubai?

I've lived there for 3 years. I've lived there since January, 2004

How long do we have to finish this work?

We've got until 5 o'clock this evening

But, when we use the verb 'to take' or 'to last' to talk about the length of an activity, we don't use for/since/until:

How long does it take to get to work?

It takes 30 minutes

How long does a normal lesson last at your school?

It lasts an hour