香菜盖浇饭

VOA ESL

the blind leading the blind

字面的意思是盲人指引盲人，其实就是指“外行指导外行”
eg：做饭水平很低，结果还去教别人.
it was the blind leading the blind.

called me about substituting for him, I had to turn him down

'That would have been the blind leading the blind!'

we ended up with a guide who didn't know the area any more than we did (很好的句子)

boggle the mind

意思就是“令人惊叹的”

took up the space of a football field
required constant maintenance（=repairs）
do so much more in only a fraction of the time. That boggles the mind.

improve productivity
How she ever got her promotion boggled his mind
George was so baffled by Linda's promotion

• sold that portion (part) of their company to another business.
• I’m one of the customers who has been affected
• Below are excerpts/ˈeksɜːpt/ (short sections) from。。。
• The person who took my call was named “Kimberly.”
• What is the problem you’re having
• the Internet was cutting in and out——形容网速很渣
• in case we’re disconnected (call ends unexpectedly)

• All right. If they don’t show up (arrive as scheduled), is there a number I can call?

  ---

  NOTE-美国医疗系统

  1. When you first get sick, you usually have to see a GP before being able to talk to a medical specialist. The GP will examine you and, if he or she thinks you need to see someone who is an expert, you will get a “referral” – permission to talk to another doctor who specializes in the problem you have.
     
     1. many people in the U.S.have no health insurance at all
     2. Health Maintenance Organization, or HMO. These HMOs are private companies

ESL 164-看个病
- After he examined me and did some routine tests。——sort of things like blood test....

“It's quite routine,”

• He ran some tests on me

• SB referred me to you—— “I refer you to today's newspaper.” It means I am recommending or I am telling you you should look at today's newspaper.———— “I was referred to you by your friend, John,” means your friend John said I should talk to you.

  I was reffered to you by my tutor, Dr. John.

• it's not a high risk operation?

• Are there any other treatment options? —— Not that I'd recommend.
• offer a much better range of services
• “diagnose” the problem on your computer, figure out or find out what is wrong with your computer.
• “cut you open” and fix you or go inside your body to fix whatever is the problem.
• To “relieve” pain means to lessen pain, to lower your pain
• The expression is “to go under the knife” is to have surgery.
• nagging pain – a pain that continues to hurt and that won’t go away
  

  I can’t sleep at night because of the nagging pain in my back.

HOW TO write a thank you letter

• nothing beats writing an old-fashioned thank you letter.

• It's a meaningful way to express gratitude when you received a gift or where the recipient of someone's thoughtful action

  1. Open with a salutation

     "Dearest ,"
     "Hi, __,"
     "My friend,"
     "To my favorite _,"

  2. Express your gratitude sincerely.

     "Thank you so much for the darling clothes
     "You are such a dear for coming to my opening night.(premiere)"
     "I am very grateful for your assistance with sth."
     "Without you, I wouldn't be the student, or person, that I am today."

  3. Let them know why their specific gift is cherished.

     I really appreciate your taking the time to give me so much individual attention.

  4. Ask some questions, and share information about your life.

     It was fun to catch up with you at the party.——————用在信末相当于keep touch with you
     How are things going with 。。。。。
     We can't wait to see you this Christmas.

  5. To wrap things up nicely

     Friends like you are the best part of
     your sth shows just how incredible of a friend you are.

  6. Closing

     To a loved one: Love, Much love, Hugs and Kisses, All my love, Yours,
     To a friend: Cheers, Thanks again, Warmly, See you soon, Many thanks,
     To a colleague: Sincerely, Gratefully yours, Respectfully yours, Best wishes

tips

Pick out nice stationary or a card
At the bottom, write something like: P.S. Kindly write me back.

haha~~~howwiki you use a wrong word,Do not confuse with the noun stationery (=writing materials such as paper).

• sth has enough oomph to show how grateful you are
• lent an ear when you were upset
• a full-blownthank you letter ————————全面的
• a short, quick notewill do.
• Start halfway downthe card if you want.
• cordially sign your letter.

ESL 114
Dear Jake,

• I wanted to thank you for all of the help you've given me over the past several weeks.
  wanted嘞 不是want

• Being laid up with pneumonia really caught me off-guard, but you went above and beyond in taking care of me. (you helped me more than I have expected)

  to be laid up: being in bed, sick
  pneumonia/nʊˈmoʊnia/ 肺病
  above and beyond是Above and beyond the call of duty的缩写：美国最高军事荣誉的荣誉勋章(Medal of Honor)授予那些“在战斗中冒生命危险，在义务之外表现出英勇无畏”的军人——“awarded for personal acts of valor（un.英勇） above and beyondthe call of duty.”
  catch sb off-guard: 让某人措手不及

  • It suddenly began to rain and I did not bring a umbrella with me,so I'm caught off-guard.
    -The fishing boat was blown over when a sudden gale(大风) caught the skipper（船长） off guard.

• Before I got sick, we had only known each other as neighbors and only for a short time.

• That's why it's so amazing that when I called you, you came running.

  come running : you came to my assistent very quickly .
  eg:I saw a woman trying to open a door with her baby ,I came runing to help her cuz I am such a gentleman .

• You pulled out all the stops to help me in every way.

  拉出所有栓子:pull out all the stops 竭尽全力，全力以赴; 假如琴师把所有音栓拉出，那么，管风琴弹奏时自然会众管齐呜，发出最大的音量。所以，pull out all the stops就是“全力以赴”的意思了. 中国人说全力以赴，往往会用“狮子搏象兔”来做比喻。清朝叶文敏评王士祯的诗“每首具有二十分力量，所谓狮子搏象兔皆用全力”，就是说王士祯作诗费尽心思了（《分甘余话》）

• You ran my errands

  跑腿

• kept me company, and made sure I had everything I needed.
• Being on my own in L.A., I'm so grateful to have a good friend like you.

• You're trulyone in a million.

• Have a wonderful holiday and I'll see you when you get back.

Kate