美語情景對話 第1085期:Her Life in Japan 她在日本的生活

Warren: So Antoinette, you've been living in Japan for a while now, right?

沃倫：安託萬內特，你已經在日本生活一段時間了，對吧？

Antoinette: Yes, that's right.

安託萬內特：對，沒錯。

Warren: Well, can you tell me, do you like to use chopsticks or forks and knives more?

沃倫：我想問你，你現在更喜歡用筷子還是更喜歡用刀叉？

Antoinette: It depends on what I'm eating really. For the most part, I enjoy using chopsticks. They are easy to use. I don't have to worry about cutting anything. And especially if I'm eating Japanese food, which tends to be chopped in small pieces, small bite-size pieces, chopsticks are perfect. But when I'm eating Western food or spaghetti, I prefer using Western style utensils.

安託萬內特：這取決於我在吃什麼。大多數情況下，我喜歡用筷子。筷子用起來很方便。我不用擔心切到東西。尤其是在吃日本食物的時候，日本食物一般會切成小塊，大概一口大小，非常適合用筷子。不過在吃西方食物或意麪的時候，我更喜歡用西式餐具。

Warren: Oh okay, that makes sense. What about sleeping, do you like to sleep on like a Western bed or a Japanese futon?

沃倫：哦，好，有道理。那睡覺呢？你是喜歡睡在牀上還是睡在日式牀墊上？

Antoinette: Actually, it depends on the season.

安託萬內特：這要看季節而定。

Warren: Why is that?

沃倫：爲什麼？

Antoinette: Well, in summer, I prefer sleeping on a futon. It seems cooler than a bed. But in winter, I love a cozy, plush bed with lots of pillows and quilts or duvets. And yeah, I like to feel cozy.

安託萬內特：夏天我喜歡睡在日式牀墊上。因爲日式牀墊好像比牀要涼爽一些。不過冬天我喜歡睡在溫暖舒適的牀上，上面要有很多枕頭和被子。我喜歡舒適的感覺。

Warren: That sounds nice. Okay. How about having shoes on or off in the house?

沃倫：聽起來不錯。好。那你在房間裏穿鞋嗎？還是會脫掉鞋？

Antoinette: Hmm, I like to go barefoot – well, with socks. My feet get cold.

安託萬內特：嗯，我喜歡光腳在房間裏走動，當然要穿襪子了。不然我的腳會冷的。

Warren: Well, do you use slippers?

沃倫：嗯，你穿拖鞋嗎？

Antoinette: No.

安託萬內特：不穿。

Warren: Okay.

沃倫：好的。

Antoinette: I find slippers uncomfortable unless they are the kind that fit your foot. They're not actually the correct size for my foot.

安託萬內特：我感覺，如果拖鞋不合腳的話，穿着非常不舒服。拖鞋的尺寸不符合我腳的尺寸。

Warren: Oh, I see. So Japanese slippers are a different size from you.

沃倫：哦，我明白了。日式拖鞋的尺寸不適合你。

Antoinette: They are one-size fits all and I just feel like kicking them off anytime.

安託萬內特：他們只有一種尺寸，我穿着的時候感覺隨時會把鞋踢掉。

Warren: Right. Okay. How about, you know, in Japan, a lot of times people sit on the floor, but you don't really do that very much in the United States. Do you like sitting in chairs or on the floor more?

沃倫：好。好的。在日本，人們經常坐在地板上，不過美國並不經常這樣做。那你喜歡坐在椅子上還是坐在地板上？

Antoinette: I like both actually. Again, it depends on the season. The floor is so nice and cool in summer, and I like just feeling that coolness. But in winter, I want fabric underneath me, and I want cushions that tend to act – provide a barrier for cold wind.

安託萬內特：兩個都喜歡。我要再說一遍，這要取決於季節。夏天的時候地板很好，因爲涼快，我喜歡那種涼爽的感覺。不過冬天的時候，我喜歡坐在墊子上面，希望坐墊能抵抗寒風。

Warren: Right, right. Eating out is a little different, too. I think in Japan, you tend to share all the meals that you have but maybe back home you usually just buy one meal.

沃倫：好，嗯。在外出就餐方面，兩國也存在不同。我認爲日本喜歡共享食物，不過在美國通常我們只買自己的飯。

Antoinette: That's true. Maybe I'm a germ-phobic American – I don't know. I like eating my own food. I don't like to share. If it's one huge serving plate that's meant for several people, then fine. But I like just having my own plate of food.

安託萬內特：沒錯。也許我是有潔癖的美國人，我也不清楚。我喜歡自己吃自己的食物。我不喜歡分享食物。如果一個特別大的餐盤裏裝着幾人份的食物，那我也可以接受。不過我喜歡吃飯的時候有自己的餐盤。

Warren: Oh, okay. There's one more. What about having a shower or a bath? I think in Japan, they usually have like a detachable shower-head and you can shower yourself before going into the bath. What do you prefer?

沃倫：哦，好。還有一個問題。沐浴或泡澡呢？日本一般用可拆卸的淋浴噴頭，在進浴缸以前可以先沖洗一下。你喜歡哪種洗澡的方式？

Antoinette: Well, I like showers, either way as long as the water is hot. Whether it's detachable or not, as long as the water is hot, I like showers. And I like having water run down my body. That's a pleasant feeling. But I also like sitting in a hot tub of water but not for too long.

安託萬內特：我喜歡淋浴，只要是熱水，哪種都可以。無論是不是可拆卸的淋浴噴頭，只要是熱水就可以，我很喜歡淋浴。我喜歡水流過我身體的感覺。那種感覺非常舒服。不過我也喜歡坐在熱水浴缸裏，不過時間不會太久。

Warren: Well, what about the bathtubs because I think they are different sizes, aren't they?

沃倫：嗯，那浴缸呢？我知道日本浴缸和西方浴缸的尺寸不一樣，對吧？

Antoinette: They are. I like the fact that Japanese baths allow you to sit in water up to your neck. But I also like the fact that Western style baths allow you to recline in the water.

安託萬內特：沒錯。日本浴缸，你坐進去以後，水可以到你的頸部，我喜歡那種感覺。不過我也喜歡西方的浴缸，因爲我可以斜躺在浴缸裏。

Warren: Right. You can stretch out more.

沃倫：對。可以伸展身體。

Antoinette: So you can stretch out, yeah.

安託萬內特：沒錯，可以伸直身體躺在浴缸裏。

Warren: Oh, okay. I see.

沃倫：好的，我明白了。

Antoinette: That's a hard call.

安託萬內特：很難選擇。

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重點講解：
1. for the most part 大部分；多半；通常；
例句：The contributors are, for the most part, professional scientists.
投稿者大多是專業科學家。
2. make sense 可以理解；講得通；
例句：It made sense for Sam to live near the college.
薩姆住在學校附近是有道理的。
3. kick off 踢掉（鞋）；
例句：he stretched out on the sofa and kicked off her shoes.
她四肢平攤躺在沙發上，踢掉了鞋子。
4. as long as 只要；
例句：I reckon we're safe as long as we keep mum.
我想只要咱們守口如瓶，就可保安然無恙。
5. stretch out (使)伸直身子躺下；
例句：The jacuzzi was too small to stretch out in.
這個“極可意”浴缸太小了，躺不下。