Dear Mom,

Can you imagine that I’m now in the United States, a country so different from China? Everything is new and interesting! I made some friends on the trip over and they have been very kind and helpful. Still, you know how much I miss you and your cooking? My mouth waters at the mere thought of those delectable Chinese dishes you prepare. Last night, my friends invited me to dinner. They had some strange ways of describing their hunger. For instance, there was“I’m starving to death”,“I’m famished”, and“I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse”, which has a similar expression in Chinese; I’m sure you know the one. How about“I’m making a pig of myself”! A little confusing, hmm? Anyway, this stuff may be useful to you

as an English teacher, so I’m also sending a tape. You can listen to our conversation and hear some real modern American English.

Your loving daughter,

Amber

亲爱的妈妈：

您能想象出，我在美国这样一个与中国有着种种不同的国家里是如何生活的吗?这里所有的事情都是那么新鲜有趣。我现在交了许多新朋友，他们人很好，给了我很多帮助。但是，我仍然想念您，想念您做的饭菜。一想到那些饭菜，我就忍不住要流口水。好在我有一些朋友，上星期他们邀请我去学校附近的一家餐馆吃了一顿，我发现他们形容饿的方法很有意思，我得花点时间去熟悉熟悉。比如如果觉得饿了，我一般会说：“I’m so hungry”。可是，他们有很多古怪的说法。像：“I’m starving to death.”“I’m famished.”等等。最有趣的一句是“I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.”中文中有一句类似的话，我想您是知道的。还有一句话理解起来可能就有些困难了----“I’m making a pig of myself!”是不是有点糊涂了?不管怎么说，您在中国教英语，这些东西可能会有用。所以随信寄去一盘磁带，好让您听一听我们的交谈，了解一下“真正”的现代美国口语。

您的女儿

Amber