Tom: we are going out for dinner tonight. Are you coming, Betty?

晚上我们要一起出去吃饭,贝蒂,你一块儿去吗?

Betty: I'm not sure. I have to check my schedule. Where are you going?
我不太确定,要先看一下我的安排.你们去哪儿吃饭?

T: oh, Jake made a reservation at Friday's. 
哦,杰克预定了星期五餐厅.

B: Jack?
杰克?

T: yes, the one with the R$D team. Is that a problem?
对啊,就是研发组的杰克.怎么了?

B: I will never go out with him anymore.
我再也不会和他一起出去吃饭了.

T: why did you say so?
为什么这么说?

B: last time when we had dinner at the Smith's, it was a horrible experience. He had no manners at all!
上次我们一起去史密斯家吃晚饭,太可怕了.他吃饭根本就没规矩.

T: oh, really?
真的吗?

B: he made a lot of noises while eating. He talked with his mouth full and sipped loudly.
他吃饭时发出很大的声响,嘴里塞满了吃的却说个不停,喝汤时还弄出很大的声音来.

T: are you kidding me? How could he behave like that?
你在开玩笑吧!他怎么能这样呢?

B: it is true. Everyone kept looking at him. It was so embarrassing as I was sitting right next to him.
真的,当时每个人都在不停地看着他.我正好坐在他旁边,觉得特别尴尬.

T:what a shame! Didn't he realized that?
真丢人!他自己没有意识到吗?

B: I have no idea. He seemed to enjoy the dinner very much.
我不知道,他看起来吃的很开心.

T; maybe he should really something about eating etiquette.
或许他真该学学餐桌礼仪了.

B: oh, he really should.
是啊,他真的应该学学.

dialogue 2

T: hi, Betty.what's up?
你好,贝蒂.最近怎么样?

B: nothing special. how about you? Are you used to the life here in the States?
一切如故.你呢?在美国生活得还习惯吗?

T: evertything has been fine for the past several months.
这几个月都挺好的.

B: great!
真好!

T: well, I wish someone could talk to me about Western table manners
嗯,我希望有人能跟我说说西方的餐桌礼仪.

B: sounds interesting. Where did you get the idea?
听起来挺有意思.为什么会这么想?

T: as you know, table manners in China are quite different from those of Westerners.
你也知道,中国的餐桌礼仪和西方的差别还是挺大的.

B: absolutely. that's because both of us have distinctive cultural features.
当然啦,这是因为我们有不同的文化.

T: for example, in China, it's okay to talk while eating. However, you may regard it as rude.
比方说,中国人认为吃饭时可以讲话,相反你们会觉得这样很没礼貌.

B: yes. this must be a huge difference.
是的,这是中西文化的一个巨大差异.

T: can you think of anything else?
你能说说其他方面吗?

B: sure. We tend to think that the slower on eats, the more polite one seems.
好的.我们会认为一个人吃得越慢,显得越有修养.

T: I didn't know that before.
我第一次听说呢.

B: and we never sip or slurp the soup loudly. we quietly like little mouthfuls.
而且我们喝汤时不会发出声响.我们会安静地一小口一小口喝.

T: i got it. i'll bear it in mind.
我知道了.我应该记住这些.

B: don't worry. i'm sure our etiquette will become a natural part of your behavior as time goes by.
不用担心,过些日子,这些礼仪一定会自然而然地成为你日常行为的一部分.

T: I hope so.
但愿如此吧.