Throughout the centuries, people have tended to be suspicious of the new art movements of their period.

幾個世紀以來，人們往往對當時的新藝術運動持懷疑態度。

At the end of the 19th century, for example, people were shocked by Impressionism, criticising its practitioners as careless daubers.

例如，在 19 世紀末，人們對印象派感到震驚，責備其從業者是粗心大意的塗鴉者。

Later, when faced with Cubist paintings, the public were puzzled by those too.

後來，面對立體主義繪畫，公眾也感到困惑。

The Surrealists were initially deemed crazy.

超現實主義者最初被認為是瘋子。

Op Art was criticised because its subject matter was said to consist of nothing of significance.

歐普藝術之所以受到責備，是因為它的主題被認為沒有任何意義。

However, nowadays, liking Surrealism or Op Art is considered perfectly acceptable, and images from these schools of art appear everywhere, from posters to advertising campaigns.

然而，如今，喜歡超現實主義或歐普藝術被認為是完全可以接受的，從海報到廣告宣傳，這些藝術流派的影像隨處可見。

Perhaps because of the ubiquity of advertising, people tend to be more visually literate than they used to be, and so are perhaps inured to surprises.

也許是廣告無處不在的緣故，人們往往比過去更懂視覺，是以也許對驚喜已經習以為常。

Perhaps new movements in art will meet with less hostility in future.

也許今後新的藝術運動會遇到更少的敵意。

b. Words for Commenting on Art

b.藝術評論用語

Original. New in a special and interesting way.

原創。新穎獨特，妙趣橫生。

Opposite. Predictable.

相反。可預測。

Highbrow. Intended for educated, intelligent people.

高眉。適合受過教育的聰明人。

Often disapproving.

經常不贊成。

Opposite. Lowbrow.

對面。低俗。

Impenetrable. Extremely difficult to understand.

難以理解。極難理解。

Opposite. Transparent.

相反。透明。

Sophisticated. Showing advanced skills and understanding.

複雜。展現高級技能和理解力。

Opposite. Primitive.

相反。原始。

Challenging. Demanding considerable effort to be understood.

具有挑戰性。需要付出相當大的努力才能理解。

Opposite. Undemanding.

相反。無要求。

Dazzling. Inspiring great admiration because it is brilliant in some way.

令人眼花繚亂。因為在某些方面非常出色，所以讓人非常欽佩。

Opposite. Pedestrian.

對面。行人。

Evocative. Calling up images and memories.

令人回味。喚起影像和記憶。

Opposite. Uninspiring.

相反。不鼓舞人心。

Thought-provoking. Making people think.

發人深省。讓人思考。

Opposite. Unstimulating.

相反。不刺激。

Exquisite. Having rare beauty or delicacy.

精緻。具有罕見的美麗或精緻。

Opposite. Clumsy.

相反。笨拙。

Intriguing. Interesting because it is strange or mysterious.

耐人尋味。有趣是因為它奇怪或神祕。

Opposite. Dreary.

對面。沉悶。

Peerless. Better than any other.

無與倫比。無與倫比

Opposite. Run-of-the-mill.

相反。普通。

Tongue-in-cheek. Not intended to be taken seriously, despite appearing serious.

調侃。儘管看起來很嚴肅，但並不打算認真對待。

Opposite. Earnest.

對面。Earnest.

Priceless. Extremely valuable.

無價之寶。極其珍貴。

Opposite. Worthless.

相反。毫無價值。

Skillful. Clever.

嫻熟。聰明

Masterly. Done well.

高超。做得好。

Opposite. Poorly done.

反面。做得不好。

C. Art and metaphor.

C.藝術與隱喻

Notice how words connected with art can be used when talking about literature.

注意在談論文學時如何使用與藝術相關的詞語。

The writer paints his hero in a fascinating light.

作者將他筆下的英雄刻畫得入木三分。

Minor characters are more shadowy or sketchy, but they are also depicted quite powerfully, even though the focus is, inevitably, on the two central characters.

次要人物更加朦朧或粗略，但他們也被刻畫得相當有力，儘管焦點不可避免地集中在兩個中心人物身上。

These are portrayed with great sensitivity.

這些描寫都非常感人。

The heroine is particularly colourful, and we see how her character is shaped and moulded by events.

女主角的性格尤其豐富多彩，我們可以看到她的性格是如何被各種事件塑造和塑造出來的。

Some say the author illustrates his motifs in a black-and-white fashion, but the image he creates to illuminate the evils of slavery will remain with me forever.

有人說，作者以黑白的方式詮釋了他的主題，但他為揭示奴隸制的罪惡而創造的形象將永遠伴隨著我。

A. Blurbs.

A.簡介。

A blurb is a short text, usually printed on the back cover of a book, describing what the book is about, and sometimes including quotes from critics.

簡介是一段簡短的文字，通常印在一本書的封底，介紹這本書的內容，有時還引用評論家的話。

Here are some examples.

下面是一些例子。

Woman of Snow is a poignant chronicle of childhood in a small American town.

雪國女人》是一部悽美的美國小鎮童年紀事。

Nora Delay is the youngest child in a family of...

諾拉-德萊是...

The third novel by this acclaimed writer.

這是這位著名作家的第三部小說。

This is a compelling tale of mystery, love and betrayal in a lugubrious setting reminiscent of...

這是一個關於神祕、愛情和背叛的引人入勝的故事，故事的背景令人聯想到...

A macabre and chilling account of an unsolved murder that tears a village apart.

這是一部恐怖而令人不寒而慄的作品，講述了一起懸而未決的謀殺案，它讓一個村莊支離破碎。

A page-turner full of brilliant moments of insight and an unparalleled depth of feeling, this is a gripping and enigmatic tale that unfolds in...

這是一部娓娓道來的作品，充滿了精闢的洞察力和無與倫比的深厚感情。

A breathtaking achievement, a journey of self-discovery that enchants and saddens, with a combination of wry humour and evocative scenes of life...

這是一項令人驚歎的成就，一段令人陶醉和悲傷的自我發現之旅，其中既有詼諧幽默的語言，也有令人回味無窮的生活場景

Jim Lawless, the eponymous protagonist of R. Crowe's latest novel, is a confused young man seeking a meaning in life.

吉姆-勞利斯（Jim Lawless）是 R. Crowe 最新小說中的同名主角，他是一個尋求人生意義的迷茫青年。

It is an engaging tale...

這是一個引人入勝的故事

B. Some other types of books.

B.一些其他類型的書籍。

A journal is a written record of what you have done each day.

日記是您每天所做事情的書面記錄。

For example, a learning journal.

例如，學習日誌。

It is also a publication containing academic articles, published at regular intervals.

它也是一份刊載學術文章的出版品，定期出版。

For example, every three months.

例如，每三個月一次。

Memoirs are a written record of a person's own life, typically by a politician or military figure.

回憶錄是對個人生活的書面記錄，通常由政治家或軍事家撰寫。

An encyclopedia is a book or set of books containing articles arranged in alphabetical order, dealing with the whole of human knowledge or part of it.

百科全書是一本書或一套書，包含按字母順序排列的文章，涉及人類知識的全部或部分內容。

An anthology is a collection of, for example, poems or short stories by different authors.

選集是不同作者的詩歌或短篇小說等的合集。

A manual is usually a technical book with instructions, for example, a car manual.

手冊通常是一本附有說明的技術書籍，例如汽車使用手冊。

A logbook is a book that records events, times and so on, for example, all the journeys made by a lorry or ship.

航海日誌是一本記錄事件、時間等資訊的書籍，例如記錄卡車或輪船的所有行程。

C. Other expressions for talking about books.

C.談論書籍的其他表達方式。

I'm reading a book about the history of Ireland.

我在讀一本關於愛爾蘭歷史的書。

It's compulsive reading.

這是強迫性閱讀。

It's one of those books you just can't put down.

這是一本讓人愛不釋手的書。

It's very informative.

信息量很大。

Nancy Riley's novel about mental breakdown, published in 1950, was ahead of its time.

南希-萊利（Nancy Riley）於 1950 年出版了一部關於精神崩潰的小說，這部小說走在了時代的前列。

Her 1955 book, Exciting Careers for Women, was a product of its time.

她在 1955 年出版的《令人興奮的女性職業》一書是那個時代的產物。

Though the ideas seem tame and old-fashioned, even gender-biased now.

儘管現在看來，這些想法溫順而老套，甚至帶有性別偏見。

Bertram's latest novel is not a difficult book.

伯特倫的新作並不難讀。

In fact, it's rather lightweight.

事實上，它非常輕巧。

It's good bedtime reading.

這是很好的睡前讀物。

His last one was heavy-going and I just couldn't get into it.

他的上一部作品很沉重，我就是無法融入其中。

Nonetheless, his books always attract a wide readership.

儘管如此，他的著作總能吸引眾多讀者。

A. Describing food products.

A.描述食品。

Food production has become increasingly industrialised and globalised, and so knowing what our food contains has become more and more important.

食品生產日益工業化和全球化，是以，瞭解食品的成分變得越來越重要。

Labels do not always help.

標籤並不總是有用的。

Adjectives such as wholesome, farm-fresh and homemade can be rather vague and meaningless, while the international numbering system for additives is often incomprehensible to people.

有益健康、農場新鮮和自制等形容詞可能相當含糊不清，毫無意義，而添加劑的國際編號系統也常常讓人難以理解。

Some familiar descriptions, however, do have a clear official meaning.

不過，一些耳熟能詳的描述確實有明確的官方含義。

For example, whole foods, free-range eggs, gluten-free bread, or contains no artificial colours or preservatives.

例如，全脂食品、土雞蛋、無麩質麵包或不含人工色素或防腐劑。

Clear and scientifically accurate descriptions can be vital for people who suffer from food allergies, and for vegetarians or vegans who want to know exactly what is in a product, as well as being important for consumers looking for natural or unprocessed foods, or those concerned about animal welfare, who may wish to avoid food produced by battery farming methods, and so on.

清晰、科學、準確的描述對於食物過敏者、素食者或純素主義者來說至關重要，因為他們想知道產品中到底含有什麼成分，對於尋找天然或未加工食品的消費者來說也很重要，對於關注動物福利的消費者來說也很重要，因為他們可能希望避免食用電池養殖法生產的食品，等等。

With the growth in popularity of convenience foods, alongside public health concerns over bad diet and obesity, simple and unambiguous nutrition labels are more important than ever.

隨著方便食品的日益普及，以及公眾對不良飲食習慣和肥胖問題的關注，簡單明瞭的營養標籤比以往任何時候都更加重要。

An example of a simple system is traffic light labelling, which indicates high, red, medium, amber, or low, green, levels of such things as fat, sugar and salt.

交通燈標籤就是一個簡單系統的例子，它可以顯示脂肪、糖和鹽等物質的高含量（紅色）、中含量（黃色）或低含量（綠色）。

Finally, good labelling tells us where the food was produced and under what conditions, for example, fair trade products.

最後，好的標籤能告訴我們食品在哪裡生產，在什麼條件下生產，例如公平貿易產品。

b. Food metaphors.

b.食物隱喻。

Inviting Sophie and her ex-husband to the same party was a recipe for disaster.

邀請索菲和她的前夫參加同一個派對簡直就是災難。

When asked why he didn't turn up to the exam, he cooked up a story about his kitchen being flooded.

當被問及為何沒有參加考試時，他編造了一個廚房被淹的故事。

The film has all the ingredients of a box office hit.

該片具備票房大賣的所有要素。

I'm not going to call him. I'm going to let him stew for another few days at least.

我不會給他打電話。我打算讓他至少再燜幾天。

It's kind of you to invite me, but ballet isn't really my cup of tea.

你能邀請我真是太好了，不過我不太喜歡芭蕾。

The police grilled the suspect for hours, but eventually let him go.

警察對嫌疑人進行了幾個小時的盤問，但最終還是放他走了。

I'm sure this is going to be another of his half-baked schemes that will never come to anything.

我敢肯定，這將是他的又一個半生不熟的計劃，永遠不會有結果。

Let's hire a karaoke machine. That'll spice up the office party.

我們租一臺卡拉 OK 機吧。那會給辦公室派對增色不少。

Rick has started hanging around with some unsavoury characters.

裡克開始和一些不懷好意的人混在一起。

They started their business with high hopes, but things soon turned sour.

他們滿懷希望地開始創業，但事情很快就變了味。

Let's go for a coffee and you can tell me all the juicy gossip.

我們去喝杯咖啡吧，你可以告訴我所有的八卦新聞。

a. Paying the bill.

a.支付賬單。

We'll split the bill, shall we?

我們平分賬單，好嗎？

Lunch is on me today.

今天的午餐我請。

Would you like to join us for dinner at the City Plaza Hotel?

您想和我們一起在城市廣場酒店共進晚餐嗎？

We'd like you to be our guest.

我們希望你能成為我們的客人。

Let me get this.

讓我來

I was wined and dined every night by the New York office.

紐約辦事處每晚都會請我吃喝玩樂。

b. Describing service.

b.描述服務。

A new Italian restaurant called Bella Roma has just opened in the High Street, and we went there the other night to try it.

高街新開了一家名為 Bella Roma 的意大利餐廳，我們前天晚上去嚐了嚐。

I couldn't help comparing it to the Casa Italia where we ate last week.

我情不自禁地將它與我們上週用餐的意大利之家進行了比較。

In the Bella Roma, the service was impeccable and quick.

Bella Roma 餐廳的服務無可挑剔，而且非常快捷。

At the Casa Italia, it's always a bit sluggish.

在 Casa Italia（意大利之家），總是有點遲緩。

In the new place, the waiters are courteous and friendly without being overbearing.

在新餐廳，服務員彬彬有禮、熱情友好，沒有盛氣凌人的感覺。

In the other place, they tend to be sullen and the service is rather brusque, which I find very off-putting.

在另一個地方，他們往往悶悶不樂，服務態度相當粗暴，這讓我覺得非常不爽。

But at Bella Roma, they'll go out of their way to give you what you want.

但在貝拉羅馬，他們會不遺餘力地滿足你的要求。

c. Food preferences.

c.食物偏好。

I have a sweet tooth and can never say no to cakes or biscuits.

我喜歡吃甜食，對蛋糕和餅乾從來都是來者不拒。

I won't have dessert, thanks.

我不吃甜點，謝謝。

You're lucky being so slim, but I'm afraid I have to count the calories these days.

你很幸運，身材這麼苗條，但恐怕我最近得計算卡路里了。

You're lucky being so slim, but I'm afraid I have to be a bit calorie-conscious these days.

你很幸運，身材這麼苗條，但恐怕我最近得有點卡路里意識了。

I'll just have a small portion of dessert, please.

我要一小份甜點，謝謝。

I like to end the meal with something savoury, like cheese.

我喜歡用奶酪等鹹味食物來結束這頓飯。

Ben's a bit of a fussy eater.

本吃東西有點挑剔。

No, thanks. I won't have wine. I'm teetotal.

不，謝謝我不喝酒我嗜酒

Before I book the restaurant, do you have any particular dietary requirements?

在預訂餐廳之前，您有什麼特殊的飲食要求嗎？

I won't have any more wine, thanks. I don't want to overdo it.

我不想再喝酒了，謝謝。我不想喝得太多

d. Entertaining at home.

d.在家娛樂

Why not come home and eat with us? You'll have to take potluck, though.

為什麼不回家和我們一起吃呢？不過，你們得參加聚餐。

Thank you. Shall I bring a bottle?

謝謝要我帶瓶酒嗎？

Should I wear a suit on Friday?

週五要穿西裝嗎？

No, no, it isn't a dinner party. It's just an informal get-together.

不，不，這不是晚宴。只是一個非正式的聚會。

Does anyone want seconds?

有誰想喝第二杯嗎？

Oh, yes, please. It was delicious.

哦，是的，謝謝。太好吃了

Can I pour you some juice? Say when.

我能給你倒點果汁嗎？說什麼時候

When.

什麼時候

Help yourself to some nibbles.

請自取一些零食。

We have to leave at six. We can grab a bite to eat on the way.

我們得六點出發我們可以在路上吃點東西。

Or we could get a takeaway when we get there.

或者，我們可以到了那裡再叫外賣。