【英语时差8,16】谈谈爵士乐

 Amanda: Hi, Mike. What's this music you're listening to? I feel like I just walked into a Starbucks.

Mike: Please don't insult me like that－this is a far cry from the kind of elevator music they play at your average coffee shop. For your information, I'm listening to my favorite jazz CD, by the saxophone player Sonny Rollins.

Amanda: I guess I just don't know very much about jazz music. I mean, it always makes me feel really relaxed when I hear some jazz playing in the background, but it's hard for me to tell what makes one song better than another.

Mike: Well, I'm no expert either, but what impresses me the most about a good jazz group is the way the musicians are able to improvise¹ together. That's why no two performances of a song are exactly the same.

Amanda: Wow, so they have to make it up as they go along? That's amazing!

Mike: It sure is. In the end, though, I think the best jazz songs are full of feeling. For instance, the song that's playing now is called "St. Thomas." Listen. Doesn't it make you feel all happy and summery, as though you've been transported to a tropical island?

Amanda: Hey, you're right－it does! That's pretty neat!

jazz  (n.)   爵士Jazz is one of many musical forms that were first invented by African Americans.

to insult  (v.)   侮辱；羞辱I tried not to lose my temper with Danny, but then he insulted my mother.

expert  (n.)   专家We weren't sure how much the gems² we found were worth, so we decided³ to ask an expert.

to improvise  (v.)   即兴创作；即兴表演One of Kobe Bryant's main talents as a basketball player is his ability to improvise.

summery  (adj.)   夏季的；如夏季的Even though it was the middle of December, Heidi was in the mood for a summery drink like a margarita.

elevator music   （商店或公共场所播放的）乏味音乐A: I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed by a concert.

B: I know! We expected rock and roll, and instead what we heard was elevator music.

for your information   告诉你无妨；提供给你参考A: Do you need me to lend you some money so you can buy new jeans? Yours have huge holes in them!

B: For your information, these are expensive designer jeans, and they're supposed to have holes!

in the background   背景；幕后A: Should we study at the library or at a coffee shop?

B: The library. I like going to coffee shops, but all the people talking in the background make it hard to concentrate.

1 improvise   

v.即兴创作；临时准备，临时凑成

参考例句：

• If an actor forgets his words，he has to improvise.演员要是忘记台词，那就只好即兴现编。
• As we've not got the proper materials,we'll just have to improvise.我们没有弄到合适的材料，只好临时凑合了。

2 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。