Dialogue1

Jingjing: Mark, are you getting out much these days?
京晶: 马克，你这些天出去看表演了吗?
Mark: Not as much as I'd like to—mostly just shopping and going out to eat.
马克: 没有我希望的多，出去主要都是购物和吃饭。
Jingjing: Same with me. I wonder if you know about any shows coming to Beijing.
京晶: 我也一样。那你知道北京最近会有什么演出吗？
Mark: I hear about them on the radio sometimes, but only remember them if they sound perfect.
马克: 我有时会在收音机里听到一些演出信息，只能记住一些听上去还不错的。
Jingjing: There was a Shakespeare performance recently. Did you hear about that?
京晶: 最近有一个莎士比亚的剧目。你听说了吗?
Mark: Yes, I did, and I wanted to go. But I missed the chance to get tickets.
马克: 嗯我听过，我本想去来着，但是错过了买票的机会。
Jingjing: That's too bad. Have you seen any of Shakespeare's plays performed live?
京晶: 那太可惜了。你看过莎士比亚戏剧的现场表演吗?
Mark: Have I? I've seen four: two productions of Hamlet, and also the Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, and a Winter's Tale.
马克: 岂止是看过呀，我看过四部呢，《哈姆雷特》的两个版本，还有《威尼斯商人》、《麦克白》和《冬天的故事》。
Jingjing: Where were they performed？
京晶: 他们都是在哪里演出的?
Mark: Three different places. My favorite was a theater modelled after the Globe, with two or three three levels of open-air seating.
马克: 三个不同的地方。我最喜欢的是一个模仿环球剧场的剧院，有两三层露天观众席。
Jingjing: You mean it was built just like the Globe Theater?
京晶: 你的意思是它建造得跟环球剧场一模一样?
Mark: I don't know if they replicated it exactly. But it was the same basic design, a semi-circle of seating, and a stage with a built-up backdrop instead of curtains.
马克: 我不知道他们是否完全复制了环球剧场，但基本设计是一样的，有一个半圆形的观众席，舞台背景与观众席相融合，而不是用幕帘阻隔。
Jingjing: That sounds just about the same as the Shakespeare's original venue.
京晶: 这听起来和莎士比亚的原作剧院是一样的。
Mark: Yeah. And what I liked best was that the play started at dusk. That gave it an intimate feeling.
马克: 是的。而且我最喜欢的是演出开始于黄昏，这营造了一种温馨的感觉。
Jingjing: That sounds great. Where was that, in England?
京晶: 听起来真不错。那剧院是在什么地方？英格兰?
Mark: England has a better one, I bet. But I haven't been there. This one was in Ashland, Oregon. Every summer, they have a Shakespeare festival.
马克: 我敢打赌英格兰会有一个更好的。但我去的那个是在俄勒冈州的阿什兰。每年夏天，他们都会举办莎士比亚节。
Jingjing: Wow, I'll have to check it out.
京晶: 哇，那我得去看看。

New words: 习语短语

get out much 出门参与文娱活动
go out to theater or museums
open-air seating 露天座位
seats in a theater or a stadium that are not under a roof
backdrop 背景，背景幕布
what you see behind the stage
venue 场馆
a theater or stadium

Dialogue 2

Jingjing: Hey, last time I ran in to you, we got to talking about live theater.
京晶: 嘿，上次我们碰面的时候，聊了很多剧院的事。
Mark: Yeah, I remember. We didn't talk much about goings-on in Beijing, though.
马克: 是的, 我记得。不过我们并没有谈到很多北京正在上演的剧目。
Jingjing: There's so much going on in Beijing. It's a world-class city. I feel silly to be living here and missing so many shows.
京晶: 北京是一个世界级的城市，有很多演出资源。身在北京却错过了那么多表演，我觉得自己很傻。
Mark: Right. I used to go out for that stuff more, when I lived inside the Third Ring. Living out in the suburbs, it makes it such a late night.
马克: 是啊。原来我住在三环内的时候，我经常晚上出去看剧。但现在住在郊区，看剧回来就太晚了。
Jingjing: Past your bedtime, eh grandpa?
京晶: 超过你日常的睡觉时间了，是吗，老爷爷?
Mark: Hey, go easy on me. What about you? You don't live that far out of town. Do you get out to see much?
马克: 嘿，别戏弄我了。那你呢? 你住的地方离市区不远，你经常出去看剧吗?
Jingjing: Like you, I hear about the big ones, and then forget to get tickets.
京晶: 我跟你一样，我听说过很多重要的演出，但最后总忘了买门票。
Mark: Well, it's worth it a few times a year, if it's a show you really wanna see, even if the cheap seats are sold out.
马克: 嗯，每年去看几场演出还是很值得的，如果真的是你想看的表演，即使便宜的票卖完了也要去看。
Jingjing: Right. I saw an Italian modern composer a few years back. I liked his movie scores.
京晶: 没错。几年前我看过一位意大利现代作曲家的现场表演。我很喜欢他的电影配乐。
Mark: Wait, was that Ennio Morricone?
马克: 等等，你说的是埃尼奥·莫里康吗?
Jingjing: Yeah, he gave a concert at the Great Hall of the People. Did you know about it?
京晶: 是的，他在人民大会堂举办了一场音乐会。你知道这件事吗?
Mark: Know about it? I was there! It's a small world after all.
马克: 知道吗? 我也在现场! 这世界太小了。
Jingjing: Hmm. Besides that and the National Theater, are there any good concert halls you'd recommend.
京晶: 嗯。除了那儿，还有国家大剧院，你还有什么推荐的好的音乐厅吗?
Mark: Try the Forbidden City Concert Hall. It's not so huge, and they sometimes have world-famous solo musicians. So tickets are reasonable, but you get a great performance.
马克: 你可以试试故宫音乐厅。它不是很大，有时会有世界著名的独奏音乐家表演。所以门票不太贵，但你能享受到很好的表演。
Jingjing: I'll look in the listings for shows there. Any others?
京晶: 嗯，我会去关注一下那里的演出。还有其他推荐吗?
Mark: Well, as for drama, you could check out some of the small theaters inside the second ring. There are two or three. I'll text you the names or links to their sites next time I'm online.
马克: 嗯，如果看戏剧的话，你可以去二环内的一些小剧院，有两三个不错。下次我上线的时候，我会把剧院的名字或者链接发给你。
Jingjing: All right. I really need to get out more. So, I'll start paying more attention to upcoming events.
京晶: 好的。我真的需要多出去看看演出。接下来有什么新的演出我一定要仔细关注一下。

New words: 习语短语

goings-on 活动，表演
events, performances
world-class 世界级水平的
the best in the world, as good as can be found anywhere (She's a world-class doctor.)
solo musicians 独奏音乐家
an artist performing alone, rather than with a band or as part of a symphony (also, this can be used if the artist is the only famous one giving a performance but is accompanied by other musicians)