【生词预览】

fascinated着迷，elegant精美的，calligraphy书法，cocktail鸡尾酒

【笑话原文】

Cheap but Good

My wife was fascinated by the elegant calligraphy on the hand-written menu in a Chinese restaurant. She took it home and spent months knitting a sweater with Chinese characters in the front. She was wearing it at a cocktail party when a Chinese physician asked where she got the symbols.

“From a menu,” she admitted. “Do you know what they say?”

“I’m afraid to ask,” my wife said, “but tell me anyway.”

“Cheap but good.”

【中文译文】

价廉物美

我的妻子被中国餐馆的手写菜单上优美的书法迷住了。她把菜单带回家，花了几个月的时间织了一件毛衣，把中国字织在胸前。她穿着这件毛衣参加一个鸡尾酒会。一位中国医生问她是在哪里搞到这个图样。她承认是从菜单上描下来的。医生问：“你知道这些字什么意思吗？”我的妻子说：“我没敢问。你告诉我吧。”中国医生说：“价廉物美。”

【词汇讲解】

1.fascinate使着迷。be fascinated with history深深爱上历史学科。She fascinated him into marring her.她弄得他神魂颠倒而终于娶了她。还有“慑住”的意思：The serpent fascinated its prey.那条蛇慑住了它要捕食的动物。

2.elegant精美的。an elegant dress漂亮雅致的女服；lead a life of elegant ease过着优裕闲适的生活。也可以指“简洁的”：an elegant piece of reasoning简要明确的论证

3.calligraphy书法、笔迹。learn Chinese calligraphy学中国书法；be inscribed on a plaque in sb.’s caligraphy按某人的手迹刻印与一块匾额上。

4.knit编织。除此之外，knit还有很多意思，比如“使癒合”：knit broken bones使折骨癒合；“皱眉”：knit one’s brows in thought紧锁双眉思索；“缔结”：knit an agreement订立协议

5.cocktail鸡尾酒。也可以作及物动词，意为“举行鸡尾酒会”：They lionized and cocktailed the young author.他们给那青年作家捧场，并为他举行鸡尾酒会。

6.physician医生。也可以指“抚慰者、解除痛苦者”：a physician of the soul心灵的抚慰者。