Ciao
Ciao Mark.
How are you?I called you yesterday and left a message.Did you get it?
I wanted to let you know that I’m arriving on the 25th and leaving on the 27th.
I’ll try to call you again later to let you know about my itinerary.
I’m really looking forward to this…
Dear Andrea.
I’m sorry but Mark’s no longer with us.He was in a car accident.He passed
away last week.
I’m Jeff.I was his friend.I’ve been checking his e-mails and writing people
Back.I wasn’t aware that someone was coming to see him.I hope that
There’s still time for you to change your travel plans.
I apologize for the inconvenience.
Ciao Jeff
I can’t believe what happened to Mark.It seemed like it was only yesterday
When we spoke on the phone.
I suppose Mark hasn’t told you about me but I live in Italy.We met online and
We were going to meet for the very first time.I was planning to caom see him
After going to my firend’s wedding in New York.
I bought a cheap ticket.I guess I won’t be using it after all.
I’m sorry.Jeff.I’m really sorry.
J: I looked through his computer and found the e-malis.
JS: Did you read them?
J: I know I said I wasn’t gonna go through his stuff unless I had to.
JS: So you read them,right?
J: A couple Not every single one.There’s more than a thousand over the past year.
JS: Wow..What did they talk about.?
J: Their lives,what they do,who they are.
JS: Were they in love?
J: I don’t know.It might just be one of those things,You hear about it all the time.People wanting to see each other after they meet online.
JS:I can’t quite see Mark doing that,though.


J: Yeah.I don’t either. What do I know now?This came out of nowhere.
JS: Right
J: I don’t think it’s just sex.I mean.I’m sure that’s part of it I’m not nai’ve(天真).But they seemed to have similar interests and opinions.They talked about film, music,politics,current events.Things like that.It’s like when I was with him,but it was different.
JS: How
J: He was a iot more open with the way he expressed himself.
JS: What do you mean?
J: Well,like,there was this one e-mail.Where he described this experience he had with his mom in college.She was picking him up at the airport for Thanksgiving.And he noticed that she had a hole in her stocking.
JS: Right.
J: And he started to cry in the car.Because she had spent $300 on a plane ticket.And negiected to buy herself a new pair of stockings.He never told me that story before.I just-I can’t see Mark being that emotional about things,
JS: Well.People usually are when they write.You just share all these things.You wouldn’t share with people around you.Did you find any pictures of this Adrian guy?
J: It’s Andrea.
JS: Andrea.That’s Andrew in Italian,right?
J: Yeah,I think so.No.I didn’t find any pictures of him.I’m sure they’re on his computer somewhere.I wasn’t looking that hard.I’m a little scared to look any further,to be honest.
JS: Yeah,you may find something pretty scary.
J: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I know he had his flings(调情).Just not with someone this far away.
JS: Will you write him back?
J: I don’t know.Yes, I should.He must have meant something to Mark.
MF: Hello,Jeff.
J: Hi,Larry.How are you?
MF: All right.How are you doing?
J: I’m good,thanks.I just wanted to drop this off.It’s the stuff that you asked me to pick up from his piace.
MF: All,right.(噢，对)
J: Also some checks came in the mail.
MF: Yes,thanks.Please,come in.
J: I found this thing in my arepit and I don’t know what it is.I felt it when I was talking a shower.
D: Hum,Let’s have a look.
J: It’s there somewhere.
D: Yep(嗯),I see it.
J: What is it?
D: It’s a skin tag(瘢痕) I just need to snip it off.
J: That’s it?You don’t need to do a biopsy(细胞检查)?
D: Nope It’s benign(良性)
J: You positive?
D: Absolutely.So,Is that the only one?


A: This is not what I thought it would be like.
J: What did you expect?
A: Cowboys in the middle of the desert.(funny)
J: Maybe a century ago.    
A: It’s definitely very different from New York. Even LA.
J: Yeah,but you need a car here,just like LA.
A: Everything is far apart?
J: Mm-hmm It’s not a waking city.   Have you travel much?   Where else have you been in the States?
A: Oh…San Francisco,Phiiadeiphia(费城),Chicago,and Des Moines,Iowa.
J: What were you doing in Des Moines?
A: I had a friend there.
W: Ready to order
J: Andrea?
A: Um yep.   I’ll get a…tender   28. (Spanish:28号菜式)
W: De donde eres?(Where are you from?)
A: Italia
W: Bienvenido a Dallas(Welcome to Dallas). Es yu primera visita(It’s the first time you come here?)
A: Yeah,it’s the first time.
W: Ahh Cuanto tiempo vas a estar aqui?(How long are you wanna to stay here?)
A: Solamente por algunos dias(Just several days)
W: Disfruta tu visita(Have fun)
A: Gracias(Thanks)
W: Are you,Sir?
J: I’ll have number 32.
W: Pollo en vino?(红酒炸鸡?)
J: Umm..
W: Gracias(Please wait)
J: Thanks.(To W)   You speak Spanish?(To A)
A: Well. I took lessons when I was in college.And,uh,Spanish is pretty much like Italian.
J: Oh,right,they’re both a Latin language.
A: Yeah..
J: Your English is really fluent.I mean,not that I didn’t expect you to be fluent.
A: Well,my mother was an English teacher.So I guess I’m a little bit better than most Italians.
J: You do something for the web,right?
A: How did you know?
J: You e-mails to Mark.I read some of them.I didn’t read everything.Look,Andrea,I don’t want you to think I was prying…
A: It’s not a problem.It’s okay. You were curious. You didn’t know anything about me. So yeah,I’m a graphic(网页) designer.I freelance,work for myself. I mostly do websites. And what do you do?
J: I’m a financial planner.I work for a bank here.( Turn to another topic quickly)How was New York?You were there for a wedding,right?


嗯，支持下

回复：6楼
谢谢支持，你的头像很有爱

回复：7楼
俺家Robin必须很有爱

J: Really?
A: Yeah,He sent me a DVD,one of those instructional videos(教学视频). But it was still too difficult for me to learn. So I told Mark that he could teach me when I come to Dallas. Do you line dance, too?
J: No,I’m pretty bad at any kind of dancing. But Mark did it every week,though. There’s a country-western bar here that he went to.
A: It’s funny to even think about myself doing that ,you know?
J: What? Line dancing?
A: Yeah,I mean wearing the cowboy hats,and the jeans and the boots(牛仔靴).Can you picture me like that? I’m Italian.
J: I don’t know. Mark had a way.of talking people into doing things they wouldn’t usually do.
A: I never told him how much I hated country music,by the way.
J: Yeah,I’m not really a fan,either. He was always making me these mixed cds,trying to convert me. But I just couldn’t get into it.
A: Yeah,he sent me some CDs,too. But I didn’t have the courage to tell him how I felt about them. I thought they were interesting,though. The lyrics. They don’t beat the bush around,you know?
J: You mean “beat around the bush”.
A: Beat around the bush,right. The lyrics don’t beat around the bush. “I love you,I miss you,I’m so lonely”. It’s very straight-forward.
J: So,if you want a comforter,there’s one in the closet(柜子). But it’s pretty warm now,so you probably won’t need it.
A: Okay
J: And the bathroom’s down the hall this way. I’ve got some towels for you there
A: Cool grazie(OK thanks)
J: Sorry?
A: It means “thank you”.
J: Oh,right. You’re welcome.
A: Is this your room?
J: Mm-hmm(嗯哼).
A: Where are you gonna sleep,then?
J: Well,I have a sofa bed in the living room.
A: I can sleep there. You can have your room.
J: No,no,it’s okay.I don’t mind.
A: You sure?
J: Yes it’s really comfortable. It’s actually more comfortable than my bed.So you’re doing me a favor.
A: Okay,thanks.   Did Mark paint this?
J: How did you guess?
A: He sent me one a couple of months ago. It’s a smaller one,but it has the same style more or less. Do you know what this one is?
J: No,he doesn’t like to explain his art. He gets really defensive(敏感) about it. It’s kind of funny.
A: Yeah,same with mine. He didn’t want to tell me either. This one could be an animal. Like an elephant?


J: Mmm…I don’t know if it’s supposed to be anything. It’s actually quite ugly.
A: Quite? It’s very ugly.
J: (laugh…)He loved to paint.I didn’t think he was any good at it. Of course,I never told him. I actually encouraged him. So this is partially my fault.
A: Well, I told him I love the one he sent me. So it’s my fault,too.
J: (laugh)No, you did the right thing.He didn’t take criticisms well. Oh,hey,I’ve been meaning to ask you is there anything you want to do while you’re here.?Something you want to see.?              A: Can we go see Mark?
J: Sure.
A: Is it far?
J: Not too far. It’s in the north part of town.
A: If you don’t mind taking me there.
J: We can do that tomorrow.I’ll let you settle in..
A: Okay. Hey. I got something for you.
J: What is it?
A: Pesto(意大利酱).My mom made it.
J: Oh,cool.It’s must be good.
A: It’s the best,but I’m biased.
J: Thanks.
A: It’s just a little gift.You’re welcome.
J: Well,you didn’t have to,but I really appreciate it. Anyway,get some sleep.Let me know if you need anything..
A: Okay,thanks.
   (Italian…)
A: Hi Mom.
AM: Hello? Hello?
A: Mom?Can you hear me?It’s me..
AM: Hi Andrea! Can you speak up? You sound very soft.
A: Is it better now?
AM: Yes.How are you?
A: I’m fine. How are you doing?Did I wake you?
AM: No.You know I wake up early.
A:Everything is fine there?
AM: Yes,yes.Everything is fine. Where are you now?Are you still in New York?
A: No.I arrived in Dallas today.
AM: Ah yes.You had to meet a friend there.
A: Yes.
AM: How is he?
A: He’s fine.I’m at his place now.
AM: Did you eat? What time is it there?
A: No.Mom.I’m starving.Of course I’ve eaten! It’s nearly midnight here.
JS: What’s he like?Is he nice?
J: Yeah,he’s pleasant.He’s very polite. He even gave me a jar(罐) of his mom’s pesta.


持续关注中

JS: That’s really sweet! You guys did anything after you picked him up?
J: Yeah,I took him out to dinner.
JS: Did you find out anything more about him and Mark?
J: No,of course not. I’m still getting to know him. Besides,it’s private. He’ll tell me when he wants to. Hey,you should meet him.
JS: You think?
J: Yeah,I’ll let you do the interrogation(逼供工作).
A: You superstitious(迷信的)?
J: No,not really.Are you?
A: My cat. Caesar. I had one of his whiskers(胡须) taped on my computer monitor last year and I started to get a lot of work. But then. I cleaned up my room and took the whisker off. But guess what happened?
J: What?
A: Work became stale. Nothing was happning for weeks. So I plucked another whisker from him.
J: Ouch(口奥)
A: Yeah,he was not happy. I taped it back on the monitor and work picked up again.Just like that.
J: That’s funny.
A: Yeah,I think I’m gonna pluck some more,tape it around my house.
J: Then you’ll be rich.
A: I hope so.
J: Tell me more about where you live.
A: Have you ever been to Italy before?
J: (Shaking head)
A: Well,Genova is not like Rome or Florence. If you know what they’re like.
J: I have a general idea.
A: Nmm..Genova is not as well-kept as those places. It has a huge historical center,but it’s also a post-industrial town. So you can find 14-century architecture next to factories from the ‘60s.
J: It’s by the sea,isn’t it?
A: Yeah,it has a sea port(港).
J: That’s right.I can picture the map from a history class.That’s where Christopher Columbus(哥伦布) was born,righr?
A: Exactly. I usually describe to people as a medieval and decadent San Francisco. Because it goes up the hills,just like San Francisco.
J: So it’s pretty?
A: Some parts,especially in the mountains. We have a lot of old buildings,too.Churches,museums.
J: Mark and I had talked about taking a month off to backpack(So exciting!) through Europe.
A: Oh,yeah?
J: Yeah,but we could never find the right time to do it. You know,it’s one of those things you always talk about because it sounds like a great idea.
A: Mark said he wanted to come and see me in Italy.But then,I got here first. Just,my time is still not right.
A: Have you heared from Danny?


J: He moved to Seattle after they broke up. I called him to let him know about Mark and thought he was coming to the funeral(葬礼). But he didn’t show up.
A: They were together for a long time,right?
J: About five years. Look,I don’t know if he told you this.But it got really ugly toward the end.
A: Mark only said that things didn’t work out between them. I didn’t ask him why.
J: Danny started using drugs.
A: Really?What kind of drugs?
J: Meth,mostly. They started getting into big fights. One time Mark showed up at my door with a bruise on his face.
A: Danny hit him?
J: No,they were hitting each other. That was at a time when Danny was on something almost every night. Mark didn’t really like to talk about it much. I never got alone with Danny.
A: Why?
J: He didn’t like me spending time with Mark. He thought we were intimate.
A: You mean,intimate sexually?
J: Yeah.
A: And were you?
J: No.Well,I mean,there was one time,but it didn’t really count. We were drunk.
A: What happened?
J: Somehow we just ended up on my bed. Well,I know we didn’t do anything. We had our clothes on the entire time. But at some point during the night we kissed. Anyway,when I woke up he was already gone.
A: So,you never talked about it afterwards.
J: No,it’s one of those things you don’t bring up. It’s just awkward(尴尬).
A: It’s strange that you and Mark were not together.
J: Why?
A: I don’t know. It seems like you guys were right for each other. You were close.
J: You’re forgetting something
A: What?
J: Type. I wasn’t his.
A: What do you think was his type?
J: Well,I don’t know. Someone more exotic looking. Preferably a foreigner. Maybe an Italian?
A: That’s him?
J: Yeah,when he was born. He kept a picture of himself every year.
A: He played soccer?
J: Mm-hmm. He was really goot at it,too.He played through high school. Oh,and that’s his dog,Sammy. He died last year.
A: What happened there?
J: You know he played rugby(橄榄球Oh my god,He is an sport talent!),right?
A: Yeah,yeah.
J: He played in a tournament in London. Broke his arm at a game there.
A: You were friends in college,right?
J: Yeah.


A: How did you meet him?
J: We were in the same dorm. I was two doors away from him.He didn’t speak to me until we were in the same class one semester.We cheated off of each other in our finals.Then we moved off campus and became roommates.
A: What’s gonna happen to his place?
J: His parents will be putting it on the market soon.I’ll have to help them pack up if it’s sold.I don’t think they’ll be able to do it by themselves.It’ll be too difficult.
A: That’s very nice of you.
J: He would’ve done the same for me.
J: Hey.
A: I’ve seen this room before.He sent me pictures. I feel like I know it well.
J: I wonder why he never told me anything about you.
A: He thought you would judge him.
J: Why would I?
A: He said that you once told him that he was attracted to losers.Imagine what you would say if he told you that he met this guy online who lives in another country.
J: What I said was sort of true.I mean,before Danny there was Eduardo and then Francois.They were all Fuсk-offs(废物) in one way or the other.
A: You also said that he needed therapy before he started dating again.
J: Yes,I did say that.I even volunteered to pay for his first session.
A: I guessed he just didn’t want you to think that I was a Fuсk-off before you met me.(nod)But he did want us to meet,you know.When I’m here(所以我来了).
J: I didn’t know this was here.Are you sure it still works.
A: Umm..There should be a switch there,at the back.He bought it online.I was gonna try to kick gis ass while I’m here.Haven’t you played this before?
J: Yeah,when I was like 16.
A: Come on,let’s fight each other.
J: Nah(不了),I’ll just watch….(Turn to play)How do you jump?
A: You just have to push that button.
J: Mine’s broken.I think mine’s broken.
A: No,it’s not broken.You have to…You just have to try harder.
J: Okay,okay.hang on,hang on. Don’t punch me.Let me see if I can get it..
A: Like that.(J said:No)
J: Well,you can’t punch me when I’m trying to.(A said Yeah…)I’m trying to figure out how to work the move.
A: I’m trying to explain to you how to do that.
J: Why you…How do you make a fireball out of thin air?
A: You cannot make fireballs.
J: Well,you just hit me with a fireball.
A: It’s my character.
J: Well,what does my guy make? All I make is pinch.
A: You have to do a combo(聚气).


回复：18楼
百度审查英语更加和谐...

楼主继续啊！