美语情景对话 第344期:Batteries 电池

Adrienne: So, Mary, my battery has almost ran out. I'm so glad you had some but they're cold.

埃德里安娜：玛丽，我的电池快没电了。我很高兴你有电池，不过它们太凉了。

Mary: Well, I keep them in my frigerator along with several other sizes of batteries just so I have them on hand. It's a little quirky habit of mine but I always like to have backup whenever I need it so I've got into the habit of stock piling batteries and keeping them in the fridge.

玛丽：我把它们和其他型号的电池一起放在冰箱里了，所以我有现成的电池可以用。这是我的一个有点奇怪的习惯，不过在我需要的时候我喜欢准备一些备用电池，所以我就养成了储备一些电池并把它们存放在冰箱里的习惯。

Adrienne: Well, it's very practical but why do you keep them in the frigerator?

埃德里安娜：这很实用，不过你为什么要把电池存放在冰箱里？

Mary: I read somewhere a long time ago that that's how you extend the life of batteries by keeping them cool, that and film too so I also have several canisters of film in there, too, no room for the butter but.

玛丽：我很久以前在某个地方看到过介绍如何通过保持低温来延长电池寿命的方法，当然胶卷也是一样的道理，所以我也在冰箱里放了一些胶卷，不过冰箱里没有地方放黄油了。

Adrienne: Do you have any food in your frigerator?

埃德里安娜：你冰箱里有食物吗？

Mary: Some but it's mostly batteries and film.

玛丽：有一些，不过大部分都是电池和胶卷。

Adrienne: What kind of food do you keep in your frigerator?

埃德里安娜：你冰箱里都有什么食物？

Mary: Right now because it's winter time, I have some oranges and actually some grapes and things so those are kind of coveted at this time of year, otherwise just the standard things. I have yogurt, milk, and some bread and I think six brusselsprouts.

玛丽：因为现在是冬季，所以我放了一些橙子，还有葡萄和类似这种在现在这个时候大家都想吃的食物，其他就是普通的食物了。有酸奶、牛奶、面包，还有六个小甘蓝。

Adrienne: Just six.

埃德里安娜：只有六个。

Mary: Just six.

玛丽：只有六个。

Adrienne: Why do you have brusselsprouts?

埃德里安娜：你为什么要放小甘蓝？

Mary: Just got in the habit of eating them. They're really very good, so I thought well I'll keep on, just handfuls so they don't spoil.

玛丽：只是因为我有吃小甘蓝的习惯。实际上它们非常好，所以我想我会继续存，不过我只存少量的小甘蓝，所以并不会变质。

Adrienne: How so you prepare your brusselsprouts?

埃德里安娜：那你一般怎么烹饪小甘蓝？

Mary: Um, I steam them for about 10 minutes or so and eat them just perfectly plain, a little salt and a little pepper, that's about it.

玛丽：大概蒸10分钟左右，然后基本不放调料，只放一点盐和一点辣椒，就可以吃了。

Adrienne: Really, I find them a little bitter.

埃德里安娜：可是我觉得它们有点苦。

Mary: I find them a little bitter too, but the longer you steam them the bitterness kind of goes away and of course there's ways you can dissipate the bitterness with a little bit of butter or salt or seasonings too, so they're not so bad.

玛丽：我也觉得有点苦，不过你蒸得时间越长，那个苦味就越淡，当然你也可以加一点黄油、盐或是其他调味品来去掉那个苦味，所以味道还不算太坏。

Adrienne: Well, I'll have to try that.

埃德里安娜：好，我要做试试。

重点讲解：
1. run out
用完；耗尽；
eg. His term of office has run out.
他的任期已满。
eg. Our time is running out.
我们剩下的时间不多了。
2. on hand
在手头；在近处；现有；
eg. He has too much work on hand to go picnicking with us.
他手头的工作太多了，不能跟我们去野餐。
eg. I always like to keep a certain amount of money on hand.
我总喜欢在手头备好一笔钱。
3. get into the habit of
养成……习惯；
eg. We should get into the habit of keeping good hours.
我们应该养成早睡早起的习惯。
eg. We should get into the good habit of using our time wisely.
我们应该养成明智利用时间的一个好习惯。
4. keep on
重复；继续；
eg. And then keep on challenging yourself, because learning doesn't end with graduation.
然后要继续挑战自我，因为学习不是到毕业就终止了。
eg. I have failed several times, but I still keep on.
我已经失败了好几次，但我仍然要继续下去。