英语博客(A cup of English):Independence Day.

 

Beginners.

Oh my goodness, we're all tired today. Thankfully it's Sunday, and there are not a lot of pressing things to do. Yesterday was the 4th of July, Independence day, here in the U.S. As you can imagine, it is an important and fun national holiday, and a great excuse to make a lot of noise. We started the celebrations, by going to a local golf club for lunch. My in-laws were there and three of our nephews. It was close to 100 degrees, so we were all pleased to jump into the swimming pool that overlooks the golf course. The children had a great time. There was also a barbecue. Hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, coleslaw, and tonnes of things to put all over the meat: onions, tomatoes, chilis, mustard etc etc. That and an ice cold drink hit the spot! I lazed by the swimming pool and watched the children splash about, giggle¹, and in the case of my daughter, squeal² at a pitch that is not humanly possible. It was actually too hot for this english girl, so I jumped in the pool a few times to cool off. I 'hogged⁴' the parasol, as they say here. That means that I absolutely made sure that I could be completely shaded; I was not about to be generous with the little bit of shade that was available. At about four o'clock, it was actually hotter than when we first arrived, so we headed home. I cleaned a few rooms, and my husband and our boys prepared the entertainment for the evening.

Grammar notes.

Expressions: pressing, to hog³, to hit the spot, coleslaw.

Exs:

I have some pressing business today. I must get to the office early and be thoroughly⁵ prepared!

He hogged the whole sofa! He didn't let anyone sit on it!

I was really hungry before we got to the restaurant. Gosh, that fish and salad hit the spot. It was exactly what my body needed.

To make coleslaw you must do the following: shred⁶ cabbage and carrots. Add raisins⁷, and mix with mayonnaise. It's that simple.

Advanced.

As night fell, it became beautifully bearable outside. The harsh sunshine was no longer beating down on everyone, so friends, family, and neighbors started to gather in our cul-de-sac to let off fireworks. This is a job for the men, ladies. And it's no job for the faint hearted. Each of the men had a large box or several, of all kinds of terrifying looking explosives. Rockets, blasters, bangers, screamers, and, just for those of use who actually enjoy seeing something beautiful that doesn't go "BANG!", some pretty, colorful fireworks. Chairs were lined up for people to relax and watch the show. There was pizza, cake, homemade icecream, and fresh cherries sitting on the back of a pick-up truck for anyone who fancied a bite to eat. So, one by one, the men put a firework in the middle of the empty cul-de-sac, lit it with a lighter⁸, and quickly got out of the way. "Boom! Bang! Crash! Flash! Boom!" The noise went on and on. Some of the children would hold their ears, and the others just loved the noise, and jumped up and down with excitement. My daughter and her younger cousin wanted to stay in my house and watch from a window. I was actually pleased about that, as my head was throbbing¹⁰ from all the explosions. Supervision¹¹ was the word for the night, I think. My sister-in-law, Lisa, watched the children like a hawk¹², making sure that none of them got too close to hot fireworks. In the dark, lots of accidents can take place, of course. But, thankfully, everyone was fine, and a lot of fun was had by all.

Grammar notes.

 Vocabulary: cul-de-sac, faint hearted, to fancy, to throb⁹.

Exs:

The street where we live is not a through street, it is a cul-de-sac.

My neighbor is very faint hearted. She doesn't like loud noises, scary movies, or anything that moves quickly.

 

1 giggle   

n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说

参考例句：

• Both girls began to giggle.两个女孩都咯咯地笑了起来。
• All that giggle and whisper is too much for me.我受不了那些咯咯的笑声和交头接耳的样子。

2 squeal   

v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音

参考例句：

• The children gave a squeal of fright.孩子们发出惊吓的尖叫声。
• There was a squeal of brakes as the car suddenly stopped.小汽车突然停下来时，车闸发出尖叫声。

3 hog   

n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占

参考例句：

• He is greedy like a hog.他像猪一样贪婪。
• Drivers who hog the road leave no room for other cars.那些占着路面的驾驶员一点余地都不留给其他车辆。

4 hogged   

adj.（船）中拱的，（路）拱曲的

参考例句：

• The guy hogged the whole park bench. 那个人占着整张公园长椅。 来自辞典例句
• The cat hogged himself to attack a big dog. 那只猫拱起背向一条大狗发起了攻击。 来自互联网

5 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

6 shred   

v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少

参考例句：

• There is not a shred of truth in what he says.他说的全是骗人的鬼话。
• The food processor can shred all kinds of vegetables.这架食品加工机可将各种蔬菜切丝切条。

7 raisins   

n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These raisins come from Xinjiang,they taste delicious. 这些葡萄干产自新疆，味道很甜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mother put some raisins in the cake. 母亲在糕饼中放了一些葡萄干。 来自辞典例句

8 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

9 throb   

v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动

参考例句：

• She felt her heart give a great throb.她感到自己的心怦地跳了一下。
• The drums seemed to throb in his ears.阵阵鼓声彷佛在他耳边震响。

10 throbbing   

a. 跳动的,悸动的

参考例句：

• My heart is throbbing and I'm shaking. 我的心在猛烈跳动，身子在不住颤抖。
• There was a throbbing in her temples. 她的太阳穴直跳。

11 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

12 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。