美語情景對話 第1357期:Life in Italy 意大利的生活(2)

Todd: Right. Yeah. Compare life in Italy to life in the states. What was it like? How was it different?

託德：好。嗯，比較一下意大利的生活和美國的生活。你覺得怎麼樣？有什麼不同？

Shantel: Life in Italy feels so much slower. People are still very productive and they're very passionate and they go to their jobs and they go to work, but there's just this sense of how important it is to enjoy your time, and to enjoy your time with family and with friends. So for example, I feel like in the United States people ... and this is very general, but I feel like people have their jobs and they work really hard to the point where maybe they're so tired they go home and they just want to watch Netflix or watch TV and relax, and that's their way of relaxing is being at home. And in Italy it feels like the way people recharge and the way that they relax and get their energy back is being in the company of their friends, and being in the company of their family. So they'll finish work and everyone will meet up for a drink in the center of town. And it's not to drink a lot it's really just to have a glass of wine, eat some delicious food, and just sit and talk, but about nothing really. Just enjoy the time and eventually people decide to go home, but it'll be hours later even though they're exhausted from work. But that's how they relax and that's how they get their energy back. And they go to work the next day and are productive. I really enjoyed that the most.

香黛兒：意大利的生活節奏要慢一些。不過人們的效率依然很高，他們充滿激情，他們有工作，要去上班，但是他們認爲享受時光非常重要，享受和家人還有朋友在一起的時光。比如，我認爲美國人……一般來說，美國人工作非常努力，以致於他們回家以後感覺非常累，只想在Netflix上看視頻或看電視，以此來放鬆，這是他們在家裏的放鬆方式。而在意大利，人們會選擇陪伴朋友和家人，以此來給體力充電、放鬆、恢復精力。所以，他們下班後會相約在市中心喝酒。他們不會喝太多，只是喝一杯紅酒，吃些美味的食物，坐在一起聊聊天，沒什麼特別的。就是享受時光，通常幾個小時以後他們纔會決定回家，即使他們的工作也很勞累。而這就是他們放鬆和恢復能量的方法。第二天，他們會照常上班，保持高效。我非常喜歡這一點。

Todd: I can relate to that. I was in Spain for about two months just traveling around and the one thing that I still remember the most is that I would go into a little pub, or a bar late at night, 10:00 a night and there would be old people. And I'm not talking like 50 or 60, I'm talking like 75 years old maybe. And they're well-dressed, and they're sitting at a table with their friends, and I can never imagine that happening in the United States. And it was so impressive. I was so impressed by that. That people really in the later years of their life still had that social spirit. They go out, they socialize, they have a good time. And we're talking late at night, like 10:00. You would never see that in America, ever.

託德：我有同感。我在西班牙呆了兩個月，當時我在四處旅行，我印象最深刻的一件事是，我會在晚上10點左右去小酒吧坐坐，那裏經常有老人在。我說的不是那些五六十歲的人，而是75歲左右的老人。他們穿着講究，和朋友坐在一起，我無法想象美國出現這種情況。這令人印象極爲深刻。這給我留下了深刻的印象。這些人在晚年生活中依然有這種社交活力。他們外出，進行社交，享受美好時光。我說的是晚上10點的情況。你不會在美國看到這種情景。永遠不會。

Shantel: Yeah. I completely agree. And it's very similar in Italy too.

香黛兒：對。我完全同意。這和意大利非常相似。

Todd: So, what about the food? I hear the food is fantastic. Everyone raves about Italian food.

託德：那食物呢？我聽說意大利食物非常美味。所有人都對意大利美食讚不絕口。

Shantel: Yes. It is so good. And I probably, wow, where to begin with food? I love the cheeses. There's just so many different kinds of cheese. I'm a huge cheese, meat, jam person. So the combination of having all of that available in Italy, especially the different regions are known for different foods. So sometimes you can't even eat a specific type of food unless you're in that city, otherwise you'd have to pay a lot to get it at a different part of the country. So, yeah I mean pizzas were delicious too. I know it's stereotypical but the pizzas were awesome and they're so different than the U.S. They're so thin, super, super thin there's no like deep dish pizza in Italy or double crust or cheese filled crust, that doesn't exist.

香黛兒：對，非常不錯。哇哦，食物這個話題要從哪裏開始說起呢？我喜歡奶酪。意大利有許多種不同的奶酪。我非常喜歡奶酪、肉還有果醬。而這些在意大利都有，尤其是意大利不同地區有不同的代表美食。有時特定的食物只能在一座城市吃到，其他地方沒有，要想在其他地方吃到這種食物要花很多錢。當然批薩也很美味。我知道這是刻板印象，不過意大利的批薩真的很棒，和美國的非常不同。意大利的批薩很薄，超級薄，意大利沒有深盤批薩、雙面或芝士批薩，這些都沒有。

Todd: Exactly. Like it melts in your mouth, right?

託德：沒錯。會在嘴裏融化，對吧？

Shantel: Yeah. It's so delicious. And pastas of course are great. Their wines are delicious too. Yeah, I miss Italian food a lot. A lot.

香黛兒：對，非常美味。當然意大利麪也很棒。意大利的紅酒也很好喝。我非常想念意大利的美食。非常想。

Todd: Well, I am thinking of going there so you'll have to give me some tips.

託德：嗯，我計劃去意大利玩，你一定要給我些建議。

Shantel: I would love to.

香黛兒：我很樂意。

Todd: Cool.

託德：太好了。

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重點講解：
1. meet up (約定在某處)相會，碰頭；
We tend to meet up for lunch once a week.
我們往往每週共進一次午餐。
2. relate to 產生共鳴；認同；
He is unable to relate to other people.
他無法理解他人的想法。
3. rave about 讚不絕口；極力誇獎；
Rachel raved about the new foods she ate while she was there.
雷切爾對她在那裏吃的新奇食物讚不絕口。
4. be known for 以…聞名的；
Our teacher is known for her fairness in grading pupils.
我們的老師以給學生評分公平著稱。