美語情景對話 第477期:U.S. Travel Tips 美國旅行小貼士
Todd: So Tres, lots of people might want to know when is the best time to visit the United States season-wise. What would you recommend to somebody that might go to America?
託德：特雷斯，許多人都想知道去美國旅遊的最佳季節。你會建議他們什麼時候去美國遊覽？Tres: Definitely the best time is in the fall part of the year: end of August through end of November, beginning of December. The reason why is because the weather is beautiful. You have blue skies almost every day. There's not too much rain, no tornadoes or hurricanes that come through, and the weather is just generally cool and pleasant. On top of that you have the amazing food that's associated with the fall months and the holidays also take place then. For example, Halloween, we go door to door trick-or-treating, receive a lot of candy. There's also Thanks Giving, where many families cook the traditional turkey. Some other families have chop-suey, what have you, and there's also the tofu-turkey.
特雷斯：最佳時間絕對是秋天：8月底到11月底或12月初這段期間。因爲這段期間的天氣很好。幾乎每天都是藍天。不會有很多雨水，也不會趕上龍捲風或是颶風季，氣溫涼爽適宜。除此以外，秋天有很多節日，所以可以享用到各種節日美食。舉例來說，萬聖節時我們會挨家挨戶進行“不給糖就搗亂”活動，所以我們會得到很多糖果。而感恩節時許多家庭會按照傳統烹飪火雞。還有些家庭會做炒雜碎等諸如此類的食物，當然還有豆腐火雞。Todd: Tofu turkey.
託德：豆腐火雞。
Tres: Yeah, tofu-turkey.
特雷斯：對，豆腐火雞。Todd: Have you had tofu-turkey?
託德：你吃過豆腐火雞嗎？Tres: I've never had a tofu-turkey but I've only heard about it. I went to a little arts college where there were only a few meat-eaters.
特雷斯：我沒有吃過，我只是聽說過。我在一所小型藝術學院上學，那裏只有少數人吃肉。Todd: Oh.
託德：哦。Tres: I always heard about it. Also in the fall it's a great time to visit the out doors in the United States. You have fall foliage. Especially if you're in the New England States, where the mountains are just "on fire" with the oranges and yellows.
特雷斯：我只是聽說過。秋天非常適合去美國戶外遊覽。可以欣賞紅葉，尤其是新英格蘭各州，各座山佈滿了橙色和黃色的落葉，就像被火點亮一樣。Todd: Yeah, it's nice. Nice time of year. OK, and any other season you think is a good time to visit? So the fall's really good.
託德：真不錯。一年中的美好時節。秋季是很適合旅遊的季節，那你認爲還有哪個季節適合去美國遊玩嗎？Tres: I think the fall's great. It also depends on personal preference. If one really likes the summer atmosphere, then of course going to New York or the West Coast in the summer time is great. You can visit the beaches. If you like skiing, of course winter is great, if you go to any of the Rocky Mountain States. Colorado for example, you can really take advantage of the snow out there. Great powder.
特雷斯：我認爲秋季是最適宜的。不過這也要取決於個人喜好。如果你喜歡夏天的氛圍，那你可以去紐約或是西海岸，那些地方在夏季時非常棒。可以去海灘玩耍。如果你喜歡滑雪，那當然是冬天去落基山脈諸州旅遊了。比如說科羅拉多州，你可以盡情享受那裏的雪，非常棒。Todd: Have you traveled much in the United States?
託德：你去過美國的大部分地方嗎？Tres: Ever since I was a child, I'd get in the car and travel with my parents. We'd drive from OKlahoma to New York, or down south to the Pacific Northwest. Almost every single state. Maybe five, six states that I haven't visited.
特雷斯：從我小時候開始，我就經常和父母一起開車去旅行。我們曾經從俄克拉荷馬州開車前往紐約，也曾開車南下，遊覽太平洋西北地區。我幾乎去過美國所有的州，可能有五六個州沒有去過吧。Todd: OK sounds good. Thanks Tres.
託德：聽起來真不錯。謝謝你，特雷斯。Tres: Thank you.
特雷斯：謝謝。
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重點講解：
1. on top of
另外；加之；除…之外（還）；
eg. Mary worked at the store all day and on top of that she had to baby-sit with her brother.
瑪麗整天在商店裏工作，除些之外她還必須臨時照顧她的小弟弟。
eg. On top of that, I've got one extra bit of good news I think you might want to hear.
除此之外，我還有一個你想要聽到的好消息。
2. be associated with
（與…）相關的；相聯繫的；
eg. In children's minds, summers are associated with picnics.
在孩子們看來，夏天總是和郊遊連在一起的。
eg. In some culture, a crow is associated with badness.
在某種文化中，烏鴉是不吉祥的象徵。
3. what have you
諸如此類；等等；
eg. So many things are unsafe these days—milk, cranberry sauce, what have you.
現如今很多食品都不安全——牛奶、藍莓醬等等。
eg. My great-grandfather made horseshoes and nails and what have you.
我曾祖父打製馬掌、鐵釘等諸如此類的東西。
4. take advantage of
利用；
eg. People concentrate in cities not only to get jobs but to take advantage of cultural facilities.
人們聚集在城市不僅是爲就業，而且是爲享用文化設施。
eg. We should take advantage of these good conditions.
我們應充分利用這些良好的條件。
5. ever since
自從；打…以後一直；
eg. Dick has been in seventh heaven ever since he fell in love.
迪克自從戀愛以來一直就覺得異常幸福。
eg. He's been a thorn in my side ever since he joined this department.
他自從到了這個部門就總讓我不得安生。
