|
Time for high tea.
对话
Anne: It's 4 o'clock, time for high tea.
Elisabeth: So early? Six o'clock or thereabouts is high tea time.
Anne: What? Tea, sandwiches and cakes at 6 o'clock? That's surely far too late.
Elisabeth: No, no. I think you're mixing up high tea and afternoon tea.
Anne: Aren't they the same?
Elisabeth: No, not at all. Afternoon tea means tea, perhaps sandwiches and definitely cakes around 4.
Anne: What's high tea, then?
Elisabeth: That's a proper meal, often with meat or fish, but also of course with tea to drink.
安：四点钟了,是傍晚茶时间了。
伊莉萨白：这么早?六点钟左右才是吃傍晚茶时间。
安：什么? 六点钟吃茶、三明治和蛋糕?那太晚了。
伊莉萨白：不对,不对,你一定是把傍晚茶和下午茶混为一谈了。
安：傍晚茶、下午茶不是一样的吗?
伊莉萨白：不一样,完全不一样, 下午茶是指四点钟左右喝茶,也许还有三明治,蛋糕则一定有。
安：傍晚茶又怎样?
伊莉萨白：傍晚茶是正餐,一般有鱼或肉,当然也有茶喝。
伊莉萨白说: Six o'clock or thereabouts is high tea time.读者请勿见tea字就以为high tea只是简单茶点。High tea其实是把下午茶(afternoon tea)和晚餐(dinner)合而为一的正餐,一般有鱼或肉、牛油面包或蛋糕,茶则当然不可缺。这傍晚茶通常是五六点钟吃的。We had high tea at half past five, and then we had a bedtime snack. 即‘我们五点半吃傍晚茶,睡前再吃了些点心’。下午茶和晚餐合而为一的叫high tea,早午餐合而为一的则叫brunch,以breakfast(早餐) 、 lunch(午餐)两字合成,例如:Brunch is served at 11:00am in the hotel(旅馆上午十一时供应早午餐)。
Six o'clock or thereabouts一语,可以改作six o'clock or so。Or so和or thereabouts都有‘大约’、‘左右’的意思,但只用于数字, or thereabouts则可用于数字或地方,例如: (1)I will be away for two weeks or so / or thereabouts(我会离开两个星期左右) 。(2)The child was last seen at the bus terminal or thereabouts(最后一次有人看到,是那孩子在巴士终点站或终点附近)。第二句的or thereabouts不可用or so取代。Thereabouts 也作thereabout。 和thereabout(s)相近的字,有hereabout(s)(在这里附近)和whereabouts(大概在哪里?)这两字都限于说地方, 例如: (1)I lost my wallet hereabouts(我在这里附近丢了钱包) 。(2) Whereabouts are we?(我们大约在哪里?) 。
作者：古德明（香港）
|
