英语博客：Table of Knowledge.

 　　It's 8:45 at Tom, Dick, and Harry's. The coffee's hot, the door's unlocked¹, and that corner table - the one by the jukebox(1), is gathering² a familiar crowd. They're retired³ farmers, contractors⁴, businessmen, a few old law enforcement guys(2), a former postmaster(3) and more. There are about 17 in all, with ages ranging(4) from the early 70's to 90. They meet daily, but show up(5) in greatest numbers on Fridays, when they take turns(6) bringing doughnuts. They've been around the block once or twice(7), and they love talking about it. In fact, they love talking in general, about everything from football, to politics, to how best to plant tomato seeds. "Sometimes there are three or four stories going on at once and you can't hear anything," says Kenny. "Put it this way," adds Bill, "when I started coming here I didn't have hearing aids(8). Now I do." Another of them adds, "We enjoy each other's company. We don't always agree, but we don't get too annoyed at each other." There is a real diversity of opinions and life experiences in this group. "We have a vast table of knowledge," says Sackman, a retired state trooper. His comment provokes⁵ snickering(9) and eye rolling from his friends. The first members of this group started getting together 35 years ago. When asked if wisdom does really come with age, half of the members say "yes", and the other half, at the same time say "no". And then there's more laughter.

　　1. 'Jukebox' is a typically American word which describes something that is very important in American culture. It is a machine which plays different pieces of music when money is put in it.

　　a. This jukebox takes quarters. You need to put a quarter in it before you can choose a song.

　　b. The diner is very retro; it has 60's style decoration and even a jukebox.

　　2. 'Law enforcement'/ 'a law enforcement officer' basically means a policeman.

　　a. He's taking his law enforcement class in order to become a policeman.

　　3. 'Postmaster' is the same as a postman or a mail man.

　　4. 'With ...ranging from ....to ....' when comparing ages, weights, sizes, colors, or other characteristics.

　　a. The shop has antiques⁶ with prices ranging from $50 to $3000.

　　b. The concert has performers from countries ranging from India to South America.

　　5. 'To show up' means the same as 'to turn up' which means to arrive, appear, or be present. Both imply that the opposite would be possible.

　　a. I'm glad that you finally showed up!

　　b. They didn't show up until the party was over.

　　6. 'To take turns' is fairly self explanatory. In a game or arranged activity of some sort, one person will have a turn, then another, and so forth⁷.

　　a. When we play cards, we have to take turns.

　　b. If you don't take turns, it's not fair for everybody else.

　　7. 'To go around the block' or 'to have been around the block' means to have lived a long life. 'A block' refers to a block of houses, or a square formation of homes around 4 streets.

　　a. He speaks from experience; he's been around the block a few times.

　　b. He's too young, he hasn't been around the block yet.

　　8. 'A hearing aid' is a small device that you put in your ear to help you hear.

　　a. My hearing test showed that I need a hearing aid.

　　b. His hearing aid is so small that you can hardly see it.

　　9. 'To snicker' is a way of laughing. There are many verbs for different types of laughter, 'to chuckle⁸', 'to chortle', 'to snigger', 'to giggle⁹'. The most common ones are 'to giggle' and 'to chuckle'. 'To snicker' is more American, and implies that you're laughing at someone or disagreeing with what has been said.

　　a. The children giggled¹⁰ while they mixed the mud with water, and wiped it on the dog.

　　b. He snickered at my comment. I knew that he disagreed with me.

　　Thanks for listening! You're all welcome to join my FACEBOOK page at Anna Fromacupofenglish. Comments, questions, suggestions? Let me know at [email protected]. Need an app to learn English? Check out A Cup Of English in iTunes.

1 unlocked   

v.开锁( unlock的过去式和过去分词 )；开启；揭开；开着，解开

参考例句：

• Don't leave your desk unlocked. 请不要忘记锁好办公桌。
• On no account should you leave the door unlocked. 你无论如何也不应该不锁门。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 provokes   

激起( provoke的第三人称单数 )； 惹怒； 引起； 引发

参考例句：

• It's the story of a lovelorn girl whose suicide provokes bitter recriminations. 那是个关于一名失恋的姑娘的故事，她的自杀引起了严厉的互相指责。
• Spring scenery provokes people's interest. 春色撩人。

6 antiques   

n.古玩，古董，古物( antique的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The room was furnished with antiques. 房间里摆放了古董。
• a priceless collection of antiques 价值连城的古文物收藏

7 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

8 chuckle   

vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑

参考例句：

• He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
• I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。

9 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。

10 giggled   

v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》