Some people love buying presents as much as receiving them. Othersdon't enjoy going out in bad weather to wander around overheated, overcrowded shops. Here are some fiveconversations to talk about this seasonal activity.

　　有些人喜欢买礼物也喜欢收礼物，而有些人则不喜欢在恶劣的天气里流连于燥热而拥挤的商场。下面是五个与购物季有关的对话：

　　1 Round the Bend

　　发疯了

　　Beth is in a cafe, waiting for Alex to finishhis Christmas shopping. Eventually he arrives。

　　贝丝在咖啡屋里等待去采购圣诞商品的阿力。终于，阿力来了。

　　Beth: Did you get everything?

　　Alex: Hardly. I haven't even got half my presents。

　　Beth: I told you it'd be busy。

　　Alex: Ok, clever clogs!

　　Beth: People go completely round the bend, don't they? You'd thinkthe shops were going to close for a whole month。

　　Alex: To be honest, I wish they would。

　　贝丝：要买的都买了吗？

　　阿力：没有啊，我连一半的礼物都没买到。

　　贝丝：我就说现在购物会很挤嘛。

　　阿力：好吧，你总是对的。

　　贝丝：人们完全疯了，难道不是吗？你以为商店整个月都要关门吧。

　　阿力：说实话，我真希望如此。

　　2 Pretty Steep

　　太贵了

　　Alice and her boyfriend Scott are in a sportsshop。

　　爱丽丝和男友斯科特在一家体育用品商店里购物。

　　Alice: Got any ideas what you're gettingCraig for Christmas?

　　Scott: Christmas? That's three weeks away。

　　Alice: Exactly. You know how much you hate the last-minutepanic。

　　Scott: What did you have in mind?

　　Alice: This croquet set. It's right up Craig'sstreet, isn't it?

　　Scott: It looks great, but the price is a bit steep。

　　Alice: Yeah, but he's your brother, and he deserves it。

　　爱丽丝：想好给克雷格买什么圣诞礼物了吗？

　　斯科特：圣诞？还有三个星期呢。

　　爱丽丝：是啊，可你清楚你是多么憎恨最后一分钟的恐慌。

　　斯科特：你想到买什么了？

　　爱丽丝：买一套槌球游戏吧，这是克雷格喜欢的，没错吧。

　　斯科特：看起来不错，但是价格太高了。

　　爱丽丝：嗯，可他是你兄弟，他该得到的。

　　3 A Big Bird

　　大火鸡

　　Sidney and Esther are planning a Christmaslunch for 12 people。

　　西德尼和以斯帖正在规划一顿12个人的圣诞大餐。

　　Esther: We'll need a big bird. I'd betterorder it this week。

　　Sidney: I just hope it fits in the oven this year. Do youremember...?

　　Esther: Don't remind me! Will you do the stuffing?

　　Sidney: Of course. That's my specialty。

　　Esther: And I need you to serve the drink, too。

　　Sidney: Ah, yes. We need some booze. What will people bedrinking?

　　Esther: Everything. And don't forget the port for UncleMaurice.[en]

　　以斯帖：我们需要只大火鸡。这周我最好就订一只。

　　西德尼：我只是希望今年它能塞进烤箱。你还记得......？

　　以斯帖：别说这个，你还负责往火鸡里填料吗？

　　西德尼：当然，这是我的特长。

　　以斯帖：我也需要你帮着端茶倒水。

　　西德尼：是啊，我们需要备些酒水。大家想喝些什么呢？

　　以斯帖：每样都备点，别忘了墨里斯叔叔爱喝的葡萄牙葡萄酒。

　　4 Over the Moon

　　乐疯了

　　Jenny is showing her sister Susan what she'sbought for Amelia。

　　珍妮向苏珊显摆她买给艾米莉亚的礼物。

　　Jenny: I've got her these earrings. I hopeshe'll like them。

　　Susan: Oh, she'll love them。

　　Jenny: They go in this little box。

　　Susan: She's been going on about getting jewellery for weeks.She'll be over the moon. They'll be her favourite present, I'msure。

　　Jenny: Well, it's nothing special。

　　Susan: No, they're lovely. There isn't a necklace that goes with them, too, is there?

　　珍妮：我给她买了一副耳环，希望她能喜欢。

　　苏珊：她会喜欢的。

　　珍妮：它们装进了这么一个小盒子里。

　　苏珊：她念叨这个念叨了几个星期了。她这下可要乐疯了。我想这一定是她最喜欢的礼物。

　　珍妮：其实这也没什么特别的。

　　苏珊：它们确实很漂亮啊。就是缺条项链搭配，是不是？

　　5 Buying Nothing

　　无消费

　　Sarah is on the phone to her sisterDinah。

　　莎拉给她的姐姐黛娜打电话。

　　Sarah: "Buy Nothing Day"? What's that?

　　Dinah: It's supposed to make you think about what youconsume。

　　Sarah: That's silly. You still need to buy food, don't you?

　　Dinah: Yeah, but it's only one Saturday a year。

　　Sarah: Well, a friend of mine is buying her family a goat thisChristmas。

　　Dinah: Did you say a goat?

　　Sarah: Yes, you donate money to a charity, and they buy a goat or chickens for villagein Arica。

　　Dinah: Mmm! That's an idea! Can you send me a link?

　　莎拉：“国际无消费日”？那是什么？

　　黛娜：设这个日子就是想让你思考该如何消费。

　　莎拉：真是愚蠢，难道你连食物也不需要买了？

　　黛娜：毕竟一年只有一个周六要这么做。

　　莎拉：恩，我的一个朋友正打算这个圣诞买头山羊。

　　黛娜：山羊？

　　莎拉：是啊。就像你给慈善机构捐了钱一样，他们通过慈善机构购买了阿里卡农村的山羊或者鸡仔。

　　黛娜：哦，这个主意不错。能给我发下这个活动的链接吗？

　　本文选自五月的天兰兰的的博客